Mobile base utilizing transportation units with navigation systems for delivering ordered items

ABSTRACT

A mobile base is provided that travels through delivery areas and utilizes associated transportation units (e.g., automated aerial vehicles, automated mobile vehicles, etc.) for delivering items from the mobile base to user specified delivery locations. The transportation units may be carried on the mobile base and may utilize navigation systems (e.g., utilizing GPS) to travel back and forth to the mobile base when making deliveries. Tracking data (e.g., GPS) may be utilized for status monitoring and notifications, as well as providing a map that may show and update the current locations of the transportation units and/or mobile base.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/904,234, filed Feb. 23, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/569,498, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,928,474, filed Dec.12, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND

Many companies package items and/or groups of items together for avariety of purposes, such as e-commerce and mail-order companies thatpackage items (e.g., books, CDs, apparel, food, etc.) to be shipped tofulfill orders from customers. Retailers, wholesalers, and other productdistributors (which may collectively be referred to as distributors)typically maintain an inventory of various items that may be ordered bycustomers. This inventory may be maintained and processed at a buildingincluding a materials handling facility. Such materials handlingfacilities may include, but are not limited to, one or more of:warehouses, distribution centers, cross-docking facilities, orderfulfillment facilities, packaging facilities, shipping facilities, orother facilities or combinations of facilities for performing one ormore functions of material (inventory) handling.

Typically ordered items are packed in shipping packages (e.g.,corrugated boxes) and shipped to the customer's residence or place ofbusiness. Physical delivery of items to user specified locations hasimproved dramatically over the years, with some retailers offering nextday delivery of ordered items. The final, or last mile delivery ofphysical items to a user specified location, is traditionallyaccomplished using a human controlled truck, bicycle, cart, etc. Forexample, a user may order an item for delivery to their home. The itemmay be picked from a materials handling facility, packed and shipped tothe customer for final delivery by a shipping carrier, such as theUnited States Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS. The shipping carrier willload the item onto a truck that is driven by a human to the finaldelivery location and the human driver, or another human companion withthe driver, will retrieve the item from the truck and complete thedelivery to the destination. For example, the human may hand the item toa recipient, place the item on the user's porch, store the item in apost office box, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical components or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates a broad view of the operation of a materials handlingfacility, in one implementation.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a mobile base, in one implementation.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a mobile base environment, in oneimplementation.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an adjustable network of mobile basesand different types of transportation units, in one implementation.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of a top-down view of a transportationunit, in one implementation.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram illustrating various components of atransportation unit control system, in one implementation.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for processinga user order for an item.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for filling amobile base with items.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for selecting atransportation unit for a delivery of an item from a mobile base.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example sub-process forevaluating transportation factors for selecting a transportation unit.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for providingan item from a mobile base to a transportation unit.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for atransportation unit delivering an item.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for a mobilebase returning to a materials handling facility after delivering items.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for directingthe relative positioning of mobile bases in an adjustable network.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for selectinga transportation unit for receiving an item from a receiving location.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for atransportation unit transporting a received item.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for returninga mobile base to a materials handling facility after receiving items.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an illustrative implementation of a serversystem that may be used with various implementations.

While implementations are described herein by way of example, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the implementations are notlimited to the examples or drawings described. It should be understoodthat the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended tolimit implementations to the particular form disclosed but, on thecontrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by theappended claims. The headings used herein are for organizationalpurposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of thedescription or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word“may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potentialto), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly,the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean “including, butnot limited to.”

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes systems and methods for utilizing mobilebases. In various implementations, transportation units (e.g., automatedaerial vehicles, bicycles, etc.) may be utilized for delivering itemsfrom a mobile base to user specified delivery locations. For example,the transportation units may be stationed on or travel to the mobilebase as the mobile base travels through an area. In variousimplementations, the mobile base may include or otherwise be transportedby a mobile machine (e.g., truck, automobile, aircraft, watercraft,etc.), and control of the mobile machine may be manual (e.g., a driver)or automated (e.g., directly or remotely controlled by an automatedsystem, robotic, etc.).

In various implementations, the transportation units may be independentof the mobile base and may be associated with a specific geographic areawhere they are stationed. For example, an automated aerial vehicle maybe stationed at a fixed geographic location, from which it may travel toa mobile base when the mobile base is in the area for making deliveries.In various implementations, such transportation units may also beutilized for other purposes (e.g., local deliveries) when a mobile baseis not in the area.

In various implementations, a mobile base may travel to an area based onvarious mobile base positioning factors. For example, a temporal event(e.g., a football game) may be expected to produce a demand for certaintypes of items (e.g., sporting paraphernalia, food products, etc.). Invarious implementations, the mobile base may travel to an area near orat the temporal event. For example, one type of mobile base (e.g., atruck) may park or travel a route near the temporal event, or anothertype of mobile base (e.g., a blimp) may hover over the temporal event.Transportation units may then be utilized to deliver items from themobile base to user specified delivery locations (e.g., to a tailgatingevent in a parking lot, to an individual inside a stadium, etc.).

In various implementations, a mobile base may include an automaticstorage and retrieval system that may automatically present an item at alocation where the item may be engaged by a transportation unit. Forexample, the mobile base may include an opening in a roof, side, etc.where the automatic storage and retrieval system may present an item tobe engaged by the transportation unit. In various implementations, atransportation unit may be able to land on or otherwise engage an itemon the mobile base even while the mobile base is in motion. For example,while a mobile base is traveling along a route, an automated aerialvehicle may be configured for landing on the roof of the mobile base andengaging or delivering an item without requiring the mobile base tostop.

In various implementations, multiple different types of transportationunits may be utilized with a mobile base. For example, different typesof transportation units may include automated aerial vehicles, bicycles,automobiles, mobile drive units, etc. When a delivery is to be made, atype of transportation unit may be selected for the delivery based oncertain transportation factors. For example, one type of transportationunit may be preferable over another based on transportation factors suchas current traffic conditions, weather, safety, travel speed, travelcosts, etc.

In addition to previously ordered items, mobile bases may also be usedto deliver high-volume and/or release day items. In variousimplementations, certain storage areas of a mobile base may be reservedfor high-volume and/or release day items and/or any available storageareas that have not been filled with user orders may be utilized for thehigh-volume and/or release day items. For example, when a mobile base isready to travel to a delivery area, any empty storage areas may befilled with high-volume and/or release day items in case those items areordered by users. After the mobile base has traveled to the deliveryarea, if a user subsequently orders one of the high-volume and/orrelease day items, a transportation unit may be utilized to deliver theitem.

In various implementations, mobile bases may be positioned relative toone another in an adjustable network in accordance with the relativeroutes and delivery areas to best meet anticipated demand. Theanticipated demand may be related to factors such as a number ofanticipated or scheduled delivery locations in a delivery area, anoccurrence of a temporal event in a delivery area that is expected tocreate a demand for deliveries, etc. In various implementations, anoptimization technique may be utilized for determining the relativepositioning of each of the mobile bases. For example, estimated numbersof delivery locations in different delivery areas may be utilized todetermine an optimal positioning of mobile bases in respective deliveryareas to best meet the anticipated demand.

In various implementations, transportation units may be able to travelbetween various mobile bases in a network. For example, once atransportation unit completes a delivery, the transportation unit mayreturn to a different mobile base (e.g., a closest mobile base) ratherthan the mobile base that the transportation unit originated from (e.g.,which may have subsequently left the area). Transportation units mayalso stop at different mobile bases for resources (e.g., recharging,fueling, repairs, parts, etc.). Transportation units may also beutilized to transport items or supplies from one mobile base to another(e.g., if a mobile base runs out of high volume items, if a mobile baseis in need of parts for repair or supplies for transportation units,etc.)

In various implementations, mobile bases and associated transportationunits may also be utilized for receiving items (e.g., from merchants,vendors, returns of items from users, etc.). For receiving items,transportation units may travel to specified receiving locations. Suchreceived items may be transported by the transportation units back to amobile base, which may subsequently transport the items to a materialshandling facility. Alternatively, the received items may be solddirectly from the mobile base (e.g., for which transportation units maysubsequently transport the items to user specified delivery locations).In various implementations, when an item is received by a transportationunit, a credit or other compensation may be issued for the item. Forexample, a merchant's account may be automatically credited for an itemonce it is received by a transportation unit. As part of the creditingprocess or as part of an alternative compensation process, payment forthe item may also be made immediately from the transportation unit(e.g., the transportation unit may dispense cash, electronic payment,coupons, etc.). As another example, a refund or exchange process may beinitiated for a user once an item for return is received by atransportation unit. Alternatively, such credits or other compensationmay be issued after the item is transported by the transportation unitto the mobile base. In various implementations, an item may be recordedin an inventory database as available for sale once the item has eitherbeen engaged by the transportation unit or received at the mobile base.Such items may subsequently be sold directly from the mobile base orfrom a materials handling facility to which the mobile base transportsthe item.

In various implementations, a transportation unit from a mobile base maytransport a received item to a different location rather than back tothe mobile base from which the transportation unit originated. Forexample, a received item may be transported directly to a materialshandling facility (e.g., if the materials handling facility is closerthan the mobile base, if there is urgency for the materials handlingfacility to receive the item before the mobile base would arrive, etc.)As another example, a received item may be transported to a differentmobile base (e.g., if the other mobile base is closer). As anotherexample, a received item may be transported directly to a user specifieddelivery location.

A mobile base management system may be configured to communicate (e.g.,wirelessly) with the mobile bases and/or transportation units. Invarious implementations, the general activities of the mobile basesand/or transportation units (e.g., related to the delivery and/orreceiving of items, the travel to and from the designated deliveryand/or receiving areas, etc.) may be coordinated by the mobile basemanagement system. For example, the mobile base management system mayreceive or determine schedule data for the travel of the mobile bases toand from the designated areas that include the locations where thetransportation units will deliver and/or receive the items. In variousimplementations, the mobile base management system may also receivetracking data (e.g., GPS) regarding the locations of the mobile basesand/or transportation units and use that data for various purposes(e.g., status monitoring, answering location status requests, sendingnotifications regarding the current location of the mobile bases and/ortransportation units, etc.)

A block diagram of a materials handling facility which, in oneimplementation, may be an order fulfillment facility configured toutilize various systems and methods described herein (e.g., forproviding or receiving items to or from mobile bases), is illustrated inFIG. 1. In this example, multiple users 100 may submit orders 120, whereeach order 120 specifies one or more items from inventory 130 to beshipped or otherwise delivered (e.g., by a mobile base) to the user orto another entity specified in the order. An order fulfillment facilitytypically includes a receiving operation 180 for receiving shipments ofstock from various vendors (e.g., as may be transported by a mobilebase) and storing the received stock in inventory 130. To fulfill theorders 120, the item(s) specified in each order may be retrieved or“picked” from inventory 130 (which may also be referred to as stockstorage) in the order fulfillment facility, as indicated by pickingoperation 140. The picking operation 140 may in various implementationsbe manual or automated (e.g., robotic). In some implementations, theitems of a user order may be divided into multiple shipment sets forfulfillment by a planning service before fulfillment instructions aregenerated (not shown). As used herein, the term “shipment set” may referto a single item of a user's order, multiple items of a user's order, orall items of a user's order.

In some instances, when a mobile base, such as the mobile base describedbelow with respect to FIG. 2, has been designated for a delivery, theitem(s) of one or more shipment sets may be picked at the pickingoperation 140 directly into storage areas (e.g., bins) of the mobilebase. In some implementations, the storage areas of the mobile base maybe permanently affixed within the mobile base. In other implementations,the mobile base may include removable components that may be filled withitems in the materials handling facility and then placed in the mobilebase. For example, as will be described in more detail below withrespect to FIG. 2, a storage area of a mobile base may include a bay ofbins, which may remain in the mobile base or may be removed and filledwith items inside a materials handling facility, after which the bay ofbins may be moved back into the mobile base for transport. Regardless ofwhether the storage areas of the mobile base are fixed or removable, itwill be appreciated that by picking items directly into the storageareas of the mobile base, the items may not need to be packed inshipping packages. In addition, the packing slip typically included in ashipping package may be applied to the item (e.g., stickered to theitem), printed out at the mobile base upon retrieval of the item, orotherwise made available to a user.

In various implementations, the storage areas of the mobile base mayeach include a unique identifier, such as a bar code, QR code, uniquenumber, etc., to enable tracking, identification, and/or association ofitems placed in each of the storage areas. For example, during a pickingoperation, an agent or automated system (e.g., robotic) within thematerials handling facility may scan the bar code of the storage areaand/or scan a barcode or identifier of the picked item as the item ispicked and/or placed into the storage area. Scanning of the storage areaand/or the picked item may be utilized to associate and track the itemwith the storage area and the mobile base. As storage areas of mobilebases are filled, a routing operation 145 may route the filled storageareas and/or mobile bases to an appropriate transporting operation 155from which the mobile base may travel to a designated delivery area, aswill be described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 4.

In other examples, a mobile base (e.g., including a truck) may be madeto hold or otherwise transport one or more delivery containers, in whichcase the item(s) of one or more shipment sets may be picked at thepicking operation 140 directly into delivery containers. A “deliverycontainer,” as used herein, may be any form of container used intransporting or handling items. For example, a delivery container may bea tote, pallet, bin, trailer, etc. Additionally, the delivery containermay be segmented or otherwise include division points, permanent ormovable, that enable separation of items within the delivery container.In some instances, items themselves, such as larger items (e.g., bigscreen televisions, desks, cabinets) may be considered and treated asdelivery containers. The delivery container may also include a uniqueidentifier, such as a bar code, QR code, unique number, etc., to enabletracking and identification of the delivery container and association ofitems placed into the delivery container. For example, during a pickingoperation, an agent within the materials handling facility may scan thebar code of the delivery container and scan a barcode or identifier ofthe picked item as the item is placed into the delivery container.Scanning of the delivery container and the picked item results in theitem becoming associated with and tracked with the delivery container.In some implementations, for delivery containers that are segmented orotherwise include division points, those segments may each include aunique identifier (e.g., bar code) and as items are placed in thedelivery container they may be associated with a specific location, orsegment within the delivery container by scanning the identifier of thatsegment. Likewise, because items may not be packed in shipping packages,the packing slip typically included in a shipping package may be appliedto the item (e.g., stickered to the item), printed out at the mobilebase to be transported with the item when it is delivered, or otherwisemade available to a user.

Regardless of the type of delivery container utilized, in someimplementations, some types of items can be transported in the deliverycontainer without needing to be packed in a shipping package inside thedelivery container. In other instances, items that are eitherpre-packaged, fragile, or need additional protection prior to transportmay be picked and packed in a shipping package. In anotherimplementation, items may be put into bags prior to placement in thedelivery container and/or storage areas to provide confidentiality ofthe ordered items. In addition, items from multiple shipment sets to betransported by the same mobile base may be picked into the same deliverycontainer for transport. As delivery containers are filled, a routingoperation 145 may route the filled delivery containers to theappropriate transporting operation 155 for placement in a designatedmobile base. The routing operation 145 may be manual or automated. Therouting operation 145 may receive an indication of the mobile base towhich each item should be routed from a shipment planning system androute delivery containers to one of two or more transporting operations155, from which they may be placed in a designated mobile base.

In other examples, some picked items may be delivered to one or morestations in the order fulfillment facility for sorting 150 into theirrespective shipment sets and for packing 160 in shipping packages. Apackage routing operation 165 may sort orders for packing in shippingpackages to one of two or more shipping operations 170, from which theymay be shipped to the users 100. In various implementations, mobilebases may be utilized for the shipping and may be considered as analternative to shipping by traditional carriers. The package routingoperation 165 may, depending on the specific implementation, be eitherautomated or manual. The package routing operation 165 may receive anindication of the destination to which each packed shipment set shouldbe routed from a central control system. In some instances, thedestination may be the final destination identified by the user or adestination at which transfer of a shipment set may occur for finaldelivery to the user. The package routing operation 165 may alsodetermine a routing destination for each packed shipment set dependenton the size of a shipping package in which the shipment set is containedand/or based on whether the shipment set will be delivered by atraditional carrier or a mobile base.

The arrangement and order of operations illustrated by FIG. 1 is merelyone example of many possible implementations of the operation of amaterials handling facility, such as an order fulfillment facility, thatenables filling of storage areas of mobile bases with items andsubsequent travel to delivery areas (FIG. 4) and/or other fulfillment ofuser orders. Other types of materials handling, manufacturing, or orderfulfillment facilities may include different, fewer, or additionaloperations and resources, according to different implementations.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a mobile base 200. In variousimplementations, the mobile base 200 may include or otherwise betransported by any type of mobile machine (e.g., truck, automobile,watercraft, aircraft, etc.). The control of the mobile machine may bemanual (e.g., a driver) or automated (e.g., directly or remotelycontrolled by an automated system, robotic, etc.). The size of themobile base 200 may vary and, for purposes of illustration with respectto the example of FIG. 2, may include several sections of storage areas(e.g., bins), varying numbers and/or sizes of storage areas, and/oradditional features may be included depending on the specificimplementation. The shape of the mobile base 200 may also vary,depending on the implementation. For example, the mobile base may besized and shaped to be drivable on standard roads. The profile of themobile base 200 may also be streamlined to reduce air resistance duringtravel. Weatherproofing techniques may be utilized to protect thefunctionality of the mobile base 200 and any operational components(e.g., extraction point openings for items) when the mobile base issubjected to weather conditions during travel.

The mobile base 200 may include one or more internal computing systems(not shown), that are capable of maintaining system information for eachstorage area (e.g., bin) of the mobile base 200 and providing othercomputing functions. For example, the internal computing system mayinclude a command component that maintains information as to whichstorage areas of the mobile base 200 are empty, which storage areasinclude items, and any other information necessary to maintain themobile base. The mobile base 200 may be configured to obtain informationfrom a remote computing resource, shipment planning system, capacityplanning system, materials handling facility, mobile base managementsystem or may be configured to operate primarily as a stand-alone unit,with limited external communication to receive/provideorder/delivery/transfer information. FIG. 3, described below,illustrates an example of an environment in which a centralized mobilebase management system is provided for remotely communicating with amobile base 200.

In the specific example of FIG. 2, the mobile base 200 is shown toinclude storage areas in the form of bins 208 within a bay 202. Invarious implementations, other configurations may be utilized forstorage areas and organization of items in a mobile base (e.g.,including different forms of shelving structures, bins with hangingbaskets, storage containers, automatic storage and retrieval systemconfigurations, etc.), and the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is intendedto be illustrative only. In the example of FIG. 2, the bay 202 (whichmay be permanently installed or removable for filling/unloading at amaterials handling facility), includes two ends 203 and 204. The bay 202in this example includes four shelves 206. A bay may include any numberof shelves or no shelves (e.g., the bay may just be a designated storagelocation within the mobile base 200). Likewise, as illustrated, theshelves 206 of the bay 202 may include any number of bins 208.

Bins 208 may be established using dividers 210 to provide a physicalseparation between two different sections of the bay. Alternatively, ifa shelf does not include a divider, the entire shelf may be considered abin. Likewise, if the bay does not include any shelves or dividers, thebay may be considered as a single bin. The dividers 210 may be anyphysical structure used to divide or otherwise separate a bay. Forexample, a divider 210 may be a metal or plastic divider that can beaffixed to a shelf such that it is perpendicular to the shelf.Alternatively, the divider may be a piece of corrugate that is folded orplaced on the shelf to divide or otherwise separate the shelf.Alternatively, dividers may be in the forms of sides of elements (e.g.,hanging baskets), which may serve as bins. In various implementations,such configurations may be utilized in conjunction with an automaticstorage and retrieval system with a robotic mechanism that moves backand forth relative to the bay and is able to select an item (or acontainer holding an item such as a hanging basket) for presentation atan extraction point (e.g., an opening 201 in a roof) of the mobile base200. In various implementations, the bins may have raised outer edges,doors, covers, etc. to assist with maintaining stored items in the binswhile the mobile base is in motion.

Items 212 of different sizes and/or shapes may be stored in the bins208. In various implementations, a bin may include one or more items 212of the same type and/or items of different types, shapes, and/or sizes.A group of items 212 in a bin is collectively referred to herein as thebin content or content of the bin. Agents may stow and/or pick itemsfrom the bins and, in some implementations, may move, add and/or removedividers from the bays 202 thereby altering the configuration of the bay202 by increasing and/or decreasing the number of bins 208.

In some implementations, the bay 202 may be identified by a visualidentifier 214 located on the bay. The visual identifier 214 may be, forexample, a barcode, bokode, QR code, color, shape, character, image,size, or any other identifier that can be used to identify the bay 202.In various implementations, a mobile base 200 may be large enough toaccommodate multiple bays 202, in which case the visual identifiers 214may be utilized to distinguish the bays from one another. In addition,in various implementations the bay 202 may be removable from the mobilebase 200, such that it can be transported inside a materials handlingfacility for loading/unloading of items 212. Such bays 202 may beinterchangeable, and a visual identifier 214 may be utilized foridentifying which bays correspond to a particular mobile base 200.

Visual identifiers 214 may also be utilized to identify bins 208 withineach bay 202. For example, visual identifiers 214-3 each represent a bin208 within the bay 102. When bins 208 are added, removed, or adjusted,the corresponding visual identifiers 214 may be added, removed, and/oradjusted to correspond to the modified, added, and/or removed bin. Insome implementations, the visual identifiers 214 may include multipletypes of identification. For example, visual identifier 214-3 mayinclude both a barcode and human-readable information, in this exampleP1-A20-C7, at least some of which may indicate a correspondence to theparticular mobile base 200.

Information about the bin, such as the bin location, size, shape, weightcapacity, inventory items, etc., may also and/or alternatively bemaintained in a mobile base data store 309 accessible by a mobile basemanagement system 326, as will be described in more detail below withrespect to FIG. 18. When the visual identifier 214 is detected, it maybe provided to the mobile base management system 326 and the informationassociated with the visual identifier 214 may be obtained.

While the examples discussed herein utilize visual identifiers and/ordividers to detect and/or obtain information about bays and bins, inother implementations other forms of identifiers may be utilized. Forexample, active identifiers, such as radio frequency identifier tags(“RFID”) may be used to provide information about bins and/or bays. Insuch an implementation, an active identifier reader may be utilized todetect the presence of active identifiers and to obtain informationassociated with the visual identifiers. Generally, the active tag readermay utilize one or more wireless technologies (e.g., RFID, near fieldcommunication (“NFC”), Bluetooth, infrared) to detect activeidentifiers.

In various implementations, one or more designated areas 205 for one ormore transportation units 500 (e.g., such as the automated aerialvehicle 500 that will be described in more detail below with respect toFIG. 5) may be provided inside or outside of the mobile base 200. Forexample, as shown in the example of FIG. 2, at least one designated area205 may be provided on top of a bay 202, and may be accessible throughan opening 201 in the roof of the mobile base 200. In oneimplementation, the designated area 205 may be included within its owndesignated bin, and may include a landing and/or recharging platform230. The landing platform and/or other parts of the landing area 205 mayinclude charging and/or communication port capabilities for thetransportation unit 500, wherein the transportation unit 500 may havenavigation capabilities for landing on and connecting to such chargingand/or communication port facilities (e.g., including plugs, guiderails, inductive capabilities, etc.). A determination of when atransportation unit 500 should land for charging may be made by thetransportation unit 500, the mobile base 200, remote computing resources310, and/or a mobile base management system 326, as will be described inmore detail below with respect to FIG. 3. The landing platform 230 mayalso provide a suitable separation and height for the landing area 205so that the transportation unit 500 will not interfere with adjacentbins when it takes off or lands. In other implementations, such landingareas 205 may be provided on the roof of the mobile base 200, wheretransportation units may take off and land, even while the mobile baseis in motion. The opening 201 in the roof of the mobile base 200 mayserve as an extraction point for providing/receiving items to or fromtransportation units (e.g., as presented or received by an automaticstorage and retrieval system). In addition, the transportation unitsthemselves may travel or be presented through the opening 201 for movinginside and outside of the mobile base 200. In various implementations,one or more transportation units 500 may generally be carried by ortravel with the mobile base 200 as it travels to various delivery areas.Different types of carrying/mounting configurations may be utilized fordifferent types of transportation units (e.g., a bicycle rack forcarrying bicycles, etc.).

In various implementations, in addition to utilizing transportationunits for transporting items, the mobile base 200 may also be configuredto perform other functions. For example, the mobile base 200 may includeagents or otherwise be configured to automatically process user ordersand/or returns, process items received from merchants or vendors, placeitems in shipping containers or otherwise prepare items for shipment,send items to other mobile bases or generally perform other functionsthat are traditionally done by a materials handling facility (e.g., afulfillment center), except in a mobile capacity. In variousimplementations, the mobile base may also have capabilities foron-demand production of items. For example, books may be producedthrough an on-demand printing process within the mobile base. As anotherexample, a three-dimensional printer may be utilized within the mobilebase for producing items. Such items may be subsequently transportedfrom the mobile base by transportation units (e.g., for delivery to userspecified delivery locations).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an illustrative mobile base environment 300that enables a user 302 to order an item that will be transported by amobile base 200 to a delivery area. As will be described in more detailbelow, once a mobile base reaches a delivery area, a transportation unit500 may be utilized to transport the item from the mobile base 200 to auser specified delivery location. The mobile base environment 300includes a user interface that allows a user 302 to place an order foran item that will be transported by a mobile base 200 to a delivery area(e.g., as will be described in more detail below with respect to FIG.4). The user interface may be a graphical user interface, an audio onlyinterface, a multi-mode interface, or any other interface forinteracting with the user 302. The user interface may be provided to theuser 302 through any type of electronic device 306, such as a tablet,desktop, laptop, smart phone, personal digital assistant, netbook, etc.The user interface may be delivered to the electronic device 306 by oneor more remote computing resources 310 that make up part or all of anelectronic commerce shopping environment. In other embodiments, the userinterface may be in direct communication between a user and an agent.

The remote computing resources 310 may form a portion of anetwork-accessible computing platform implemented as a computinginfrastructure of processors, storage, software, data access, and othercomponents that is maintained and accessible via a network 308.Services, such as e-commerce shopping services, offered by the remotecomputing resources 310 do not require that the user have knowledge ofthe physical location and configuration of the system that delivers theservices. The electronic device 306 may communicatively couple to theremote computing resources 310 via the network 308 which may representwired technologies (e.g., wires, USB, fiber optic cable, etc.), wirelesstechnologies (e.g., RF, cellular, satellite, Bluetooth, etc.), and/orother connection technologies. The network 308 carries data between theelectronic device 306 and the remote computing resources 310.

After receiving from a user 302 an order for an item that may betransported by a mobile base 200 to a delivery area, the electronicdevice 306 may send this information to the remote computing resources310 over the network 308. As illustrated, the remote computing resources310 may include one or more servers, such as servers 320(1), 320(2), . .. , 320(N). These servers 320(1)-(N) may be arranged in any number ofways, such as server farms, stacks, and the like that are commonly usedin data centers. Furthermore, the servers 320(1)-(N) may include one ormore processors 322 and memory 324 that may store a mobile basemanagement system 326.

The mobile base management system 326 may be configured, for example, toperform order planning and filling of mobile bases with orders (e.g., ata materials handling facility 330) and/or scheduling of deliveries bytransportation units 500 from mobile bases to user specified deliverylocations. In fulfilling orders that may be transported by a mobilebase, the materials handling facility 330 may fulfill orders using anyof the processes discussed above with respect to FIG. 1. As noted above,in various implementations one or more mobile bases may also beconfigured to generally perform some or all of the functions that aretraditionally done by a materials handling facility (e.g., a fulfillmentcenter), except in a mobile capacity. In some instances, one or morelarger mobile bases may also be utilized to transport or otherwiseservice smaller mobile bases that travel to and from the larger mobilebase. As an example, in one instance the functions of the materialshandling facility 330 in FIG. 3 may be implemented in a larger mobilebase, for which one or more smaller mobile bases 200 and/or associatedtransportation units 500 may travel to and from the larger mobile base(e.g., for receiving and/or delivering items, for transportation by thelarger mobile base, etc.).

The mobile base 200 and/or transportation units 500 may communicativelycouple to the remote computing resources 310 via the network 308. Forexample, the communications to and from the mobile bases 200 and/ortransportation units 500 may utilize wireless antennas of the mobilebases and transportation units. Communications may be to and from thecommand component of each of the mobile bases (as described above withrespect to FIG. 2) and to a control system of each of the transportationunits (as described below with respect to FIG. 6).

The mobile base management system 326 may also be configured, forexample, to communicate with the mobile bases 200 and/or transportationunits 500. In various implementations, the general activities of mobilebases and transportation units, including those related to the planningand implementation of the mobile bases receiving and transporting items,the travel of the mobile bases to and from the designated delivery andreceiving areas and the delivery and receiving of items by thetransportation units, may be coordinated and/or otherwise controlled bythe mobile base management system 326. For example, the mobile basemanagement system 326 may receive or determine schedule data for thetravel of the mobile bases to the designated delivery and/or receivingareas (as will be described in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 8and 14) and for the return of the mobile bases back to the materialshandling facilities (as will be described in more detail below withrespect to FIGS. 13 and 17) and/or may otherwise direct the travel ofthe mobile bases and/or the distribution and/or receiving of items bythe transportation units. In various implementations, the mobile basemanagement system 326 and/or mobile base 200 may send instructions to orotherwise control the transportation units 500 for delivering and/orreceiving items, travelling between mobile bases, etc. As an example,instructions may be transmitted to a remotely stationed transportationunit that indicate a location where a mobile base may be met by thetransportation unit for acquiring an item, as well as deliveryinstructions including a delivery location where the item is to bedelivered by the transportation unit.

In various implementations, the remote computing resources 310 and/ormobile base management system 326 may also receive tracking data (e.g.,GPS) regarding the coordinates of the mobile bases and/or transportationunits. The GPS data may be utilized for various purposes, such asanswering location status requests or for sending notificationsregarding the current locations of the mobile bases and/ortransportation units. For example, a user may request that anotification be sent when a mobile base or a transportation unit with anordered item is approaching. As another example, a notification may besent to a remotely stationed transportation unit when a mobile base isapproaching a pickup location where the transportation unit is to meetthe mobile base for acquiring an identified item from the mobile base.Notifications may also be sent from the mobile base 200 and/ortransportation unit 500 to the remote computing resources 310 and/ormobile base management system 326 regarding various events (e.g., when atransportation unit has left the mobile base, when a transportation unithas delivered an item, when a transportation unit has returned to themobile base, etc.).

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an adjustable network of mobile bases200(A), 200(B), 200(C), in one implementation. In variousimplementations, the adjustable network of mobile bases may be part of adelivery system and/or a receiving system for delivering and/orreceiving items, as will be described in more detail below.Corresponding geographic areas 400(A), 400(B), 400(C) are served by eachmobile base 200(A), 200(B), 200(C), respectively. Each geographic areamay include a number of locations (e.g., delivery locations and/orreceiving locations). In certain examples that will be described below,the geographic areas 400(A), 400(B) and 400(C) may correspond todelivery areas and/or receiving areas, and locations L1(A)-L3(A),L1(B)-L2(B) and L1(C)-L2(C) within each of the respective geographicareas may correspond to delivery locations and/or receiving locations,depending on the specific example.

Each of the mobile bases 200(A)-200(C) is shown to have a number ofcorresponding transportation units of different types. As shown, themobile base 200(A) has associated transportation units 500(A1) and500(A3) (i.e., automated aerial vehicles) and a transportation unit500(A2) (i.e., a bicycle). The mobile base 200(B) is shown to haveassociated transportation units 500(B1) and 500(B3) (i.e., automatedaerial vehicles) and a transportation unit 500(B2) (i.e., a bicycle).The mobile base 200(C) is shown to have an associated transportationunit 500(C2) (i.e., an automated aerial vehicle) and a transportationunit 500(C1) (i.e., a bicycle).

In various implementations, the transportation units may be carried by,or travel with, the respective mobile bases as the mobile bases travelto and from delivery and/or receiving areas. Alternatively, some or allof the transportation units may be stationed at locations within therespective geographic areas, and may be utilized for transporting itemsto and from the mobile bases when the mobile bases are in the respectivegeographic areas. In various implementations, the transportation unitsthat are stationed in the geographic areas may also be utilized forother purposes (e.g., transporting items for local pickups anddeliveries) when the mobile bases are not in the geographic areas. Invarious implementations, the transportation units may receiveinstructions and/or be controlled or otherwise directed by therespective mobile bases and/or the mobile base management system. Forexample, the mobile base and/or the mobile base management system maysend instructions to the transportation units to transport items fromthe mobile base to user specified delivery locations when the mobilebase is within a delivery area that includes the user specified deliverylocations.

In various implementations, a delivery or receiving area may generallybe defined as any area that includes delivery or receiving locations.The areas may represent a travel range within a specified period of timefor one or more types of transportation units from a stopping point ortravel route of a mobile base. The example circular shapes of thegeographic areas 400(A)-400(C) may represent example travel ranges of atype of transportation unit (e.g., an automated aerial vehicle) from astopping point for a mobile base at the center of the circular area. Inone implementation, a single delivery or receiving area may berepresented by a combination of geographic areas. For example, thecombination of geographic areas 400(A) and 400(B) may represent a singledelivery or receiving area for a mobile base (e.g., wherein the mobilebases 200(A) and 200(B) may represent the same mobile base as it travelsthrough the different areas). In various implementations, the combinedgeographic areas 400(A)-400(C) may represent a single delivery and/orreceiving area that is serviced by the multiple mobile bases200(A)-200(C) (e.g., as part of an adjustable network of mobile bases).

In operation, when an order for one or more items is placed by a user, ashipment set may be assigned to a materials handling facility 330 forfulfillment and delivery. An order planning system (e.g., as part of, orworking in conjunction with, the mobile base management system 326) maydetermine if there is a mobile base, such as mobile base 200(A), thatwill be within a geographic area 400(A) which includes a deliverylocation L1(A) where the user may wish to have the items delivered onthe desired date during a desired timeframe.

If an identified mobile base will be available, the mobile basemanagement system 326 may determine if it is currently indicated thatthere will be available capacity for the user's order in the mobile baseprior to designating the mobile base for transporting the order. Foritems that have been ordered with a mobile base 200(A) designated fortransporting the order, the ordered items may be picked and placed intoone or more storage areas (e.g., bins) of the mobile base 200(A) whilethe mobile base 200(A) is at the materials handling facility. Otheritems associated with other orders may also be picked and placed in thestorage areas of the mobile base 200(A) while the mobile base 200(A) islocated at the materials handling facility, after which the mobile base200(A) may be instructed to travel to the designated geographic area400(A).

In various implementations, in addition to previously designated userorders, mobile bases may also be used to deliver high-volume and/orrelease day items. A high-volume item may be, for example, an item thatis frequently ordered, such as a popular book, shoe, video game, tablet,etc. A release day item may be an item that will become available on theday it is released to the public (e.g., book, movie, game, toy, etc.).For high-volume and/or release day items, they may be picked and placedin storage areas (e.g., bins) of various mobile bases before the mobilebases travel to designated delivery areas so that the items will beimmediately available to be delivered by transportation units on therelease day. In various implementations, certain storage areas of amobile base may be reserved for high-volume and/or release day itemsand/or any available storage areas that have not been filled with userorders may be utilized for the high-volume and/or release day items. Forexample, when a mobile base is ready to be transported to a deliveryarea, any of the empty storage areas may be filled with high-volumeand/or release day items in case those items are ordered by users. Whena user orders one of the high-volume and/or release day items, a storagearea containing one of those items may be associated with the user'sorder and the item made immediately available for delivery by atransportation unit.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, in one example the mobile base 200(A) is shownto initially travel from the materials handling facility 330 on a routethat goes through the geographic area 400(A) (e.g., which in thisinstance may be designated as a delivery area). In variousimplementations, the mobile base 200(A) may have a single centralstopping point within the geographic area 400(A), which all of thetransportation units depart and return to, before the mobile base 200(A)continues to travel. Alternatively, the mobile base 200(A) may havemultiple stopping points and/or may continue to move along the routethrough the geographic area 400(A) while the transportation units departfrom and return to the mobile base 200(A) at different locations alongthe route.

The availability of different types of transportation units (e.g., thebicycle transportation unit 500(A2) as compared to the automated aerialvehicle transportation units 500(A1) and 500(A3)) indicates that when anitem is to be delivered, a selection may be made between the differenttypes of transportation units for transporting the item. As will bedescribed in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 9 and 10, when adelivery is to be made, a transportation unit may be selected for thedelivery based on certain transportation factors. For example, one typeof transportation unit may be preferable over another based ontransportation factors such as current traffic conditions, weather,safety, travel speed, travel cost, etc.

As another illustrative example, the transportation unit 500(A1) isshown to deliver an item from the mobile base 200(A) to a deliverylocation L1(A). As indicated by the dotted lined travel path, thetransportation unit 500(A1) may then travel from the delivery locationL1(A) to the materials handling facility 330, rather than back to themobile base 200(A). This type of travel path may be followed for anumber of reasons (e.g., the mobile base 200(A) may have subsequentlyleft the geographic area 400(A) in which case the materials handlingfacility 330 may be closer to the current location of the transportationunit 500(A1), the transportation unit 500(A1) may have an item that isto be delivered to the materials handling facility 330, the mobile base200(A) may have already returned to the materials handling facility 330,etc.). In an alternative implementation, the travel path may indicatethat the transportation unit 500(A1) has traveled from the materialshandling facility 330 to deliver an item to the delivery location L1(A),and then traveled to the mobile base 200(A). For example, thetransportation unit 500(A1) may have delivered an item directly from thematerials handling facility 330 to the delivery location L1(A), and thentraveled to land on the mobile base 200(A) (e.g. which may be theclosest mobile base) for further transport.

As another illustrative example, the transportation unit 500(A2) isshown to travel to a delivery location L2(A) to deliver an item from themobile base 200(A), and then travel back to the mobile base 200(A). Thetransportation unit 500(A3) is shown to travel to a delivery locationL3(A) to deliver an item from the mobile base 200(A), and thensubsequently travel to a different mobile base 200(B). Such a travelroute may be followed by a transportation unit for a number of reasons(e.g., the mobile base 200(A) may have subsequently left the area andthe mobile base 200(B) may be closer, the transportation unit 500(A2)may have an item that is to be delivered to the mobile base 200(B),etc.). In various implementations, the mobile bases 200(A) and 200(B)may be representative of the same mobile base as it travels from thegeographic area 400(A) to the geographic area 400(B), in which case thetransportation unit 500(A3) may be described as returning to the mobilebase that it originated from after the mobile base has moved to adifferent location.

With respect to the mobile base 200(B), the transportation units 500(B1)and 500(B2) are shown to deliver items from the mobile base to deliverylocations L1(B) and L2(B), respectively, and then return to the mobilebase 200(B). The transportation unit 500(B3) is shown to travel directlyfrom the mobile base 200(B) to a mobile base 200(C). In variousimplementations, a transportation unit may travel between mobile basesfor various reasons (e.g., to deliver or receive items or supplies fromone mobile base to another, to be transported by a different mobile baseback to a materials handling facility or other destination, to return toa mobile base that the transportation unit was originally assigned to,as following instructions to return after delivering an item towhichever mobile base is closest, etc.). In various implementations,transportation units may generally receive resources from mobile bases(e.g., electricity, fuel, water, parts, etc.) and a transportation unitmay travel to a different mobile base for receiving such resources ifthe other mobile base is closer or otherwise more convenient, or if theoriginal mobile base has run out of such resources, etc.

With respect to the mobile base 200(C), the transportation units 500(C1)and 500(C2) are shown to deliver items from the mobile base 200(C) todelivery locations L1(C) and L2(C), respectively, and to return to themobile base. Additionally, the transportation unit 500(C2) isillustrated as traveling to and from the materials handling facility330. In various implementations, a transportation unit may travelbetween a mobile base and a materials handling facility for a variety ofreasons (e.g., to transport items from the mobile base to the materialshandling facility, to receive needed items or supplies from thematerials handling facility, etc.). As another example, if the mobilebase 200(C) is travelling to transport received items to the materialshandling facility 330, but a determination is made that subsequenttravel of the mobile base 200(C) to the materials handling facility 330is inhibited, instructions may be sent directing one or moretransportation units (e.g., transportation unit 500(C2)) to travel aheadof the mobile base 200(C) to transport items to the materials handlingfacility 330.

In various implementations, in a geographic area with an increasing ordecreasing volume of deliveries or receiving of items, the mobile basemanagement system 326 may correspondingly increase or decrease thefrequency or number of mobile bases that travel through the geographicarea. The mobile base management system 326 may also monitor thepatterns of deliveries or receiving of items over time and may adjustthe schedules for the mobile bases to better meet the correspondingdemand for delivering and/or receiving items. The locations that themobile bases travel to and/or stop at for sending out transportationunits to make deliveries and/or receive items may also be adjusted tooptimize the network.

As noted above, a mobile base may travel to a first geographic area,such as geographic area 400(A), before traveling to a second geographicarea, such as geographic area 400(B). In such an instance, the mobilebases 200(A) and 200(B) may be representative of the same mobile base asit travels to the different respective geographic areas. In oneimplementation, as described above, the first and second geographicareas 400(A) and 400(B) may each represent delivery areas where ordereditems may be delivered by the respective transportation units to userspecified delivery locations. In one example, the geographic areas400(A) and 400(B) may have been predetermined and/or otherwise be on aregular route for the mobile base. As another example, the mobile basemay have initially been instructed to travel to the geographic area400(A) based on a mobile base positioning factor (e.g., based on anumber of scheduled deliveries to the locations L1(A)-L3(A)), and thenmay be instructed to move to the different geographic area 400(B) due toa change in the mobile base positioning factor (e.g., newly scheduled oranticipated deliveries for the locations L1(B) and L2(B)).

In another implementation, the first geographic area 400(A) mayrepresent a receiving area where the mobile base receives items (e.g.,from merchants, vendors, etc.), after which the mobile base may travelto the geographic area 400(B) which represents a delivery area where thereceived items may be delivered by transportation units to userspecified delivery locations. In various implementations, a givengeographic area may also represent both a delivery area and a receivingarea, wherein delivery locations and receiving locations may be includedwithin the same geographic area. For example, the geographic area 400(A)may represent a receiving area that includes receiving locations L1(A)and L2(A), and may also represent a delivery area that includes adelivery location L3(A).

In various implementations, an item received at a receiving location bya transportation unit may be delivered directly to a user specifieddelivery location by the transportation unit rather than back to themobile base. For example, instructions may be provided that an itemreceived by a transportation unit from a receiving location L2(A) shouldbe delivered directly to a user specified delivery location L3(A) ratherthan back to the mobile base 200(A). In various implementations, atransportation unit may receive multiple items from different receivinglocations (e.g., locations L1(A) and L2(A)) before delivering themultiple items to one or more mobile bases (e.g., mobile base 200(A)) ordelivery locations (e.g., location L3(A)). Similarly, a transportationunit may receive multiple items from a single mobile base (e.g., mobilebase 200(A)) or receiving location (e.g., location L1(A)), and thentravel to deliver the items to multiple delivery locations (e.g.,locations L2(A) and L3(A)). In various implementations, multipletransportation units and/or mobile bases may be utilized for deliveringdifferent parts or items of a single user order (e.g., one item from auser order may be transported by a transportation unit 500(A1) whileanother item from the user order may be transported by a transportationunit 500(A2)).

Several of the examples described above regarding deliveries to deliverylocations may alternatively be described for receiving items fromreceiving locations. For example, the transportation unit 500(A1) mayhave originated at the mobile base 200(A) and traveled to a receivinglocation L1(A) for receiving an item which the transportation unit500(A1) subsequently transported to the materials handling facility 330.Alternatively, the transportation unit 500(A1) may have originated atthe materials handling facility 330 and traveled to the receivinglocation L1(A) for receiving the item and subsequently transported thereceived item to the mobile base 200(A). As a similar example, thetransportation unit 500(A3) may have originated at the mobile base200(A) and traveled to a receiving location L3(A) for receiving an itemand subsequently transported the received item to the mobile base 200(B)(which as described above may be a different mobile base or may be thesame mobile base 200(A) as having traveled from the geographic area400(A) to the geographic area 400(B)). In either case, as part oftransporting the item to the mobile base 200(B), the transportation unit500(A3) may subsequently land on or otherwise be engaged by the mobilebase 200(B) for subsequently travelling with the mobile base.

In various implementations, a mobile base may itself travel to deliverylocations and/or receiving locations for delivery and/or receiving ofitems. For example, in one implementation the mobile base 200(A) maytravel to the receiving location L3(A) to receive items, and then maytravel to the geographic area 400(B) where the items will be deliveredby transportation units 500(B1) and 500(B2) to delivery locations L1(B)and L2(B). Alternatively or in addition, the mobile base 200(A) mayreceive items as transported by transportation units 500(A1) and 500(A2)from receiving locations L1(A) and L2(A), and then may travel to thedelivery location L1(B) where the mobile base may deliver the items. Invarious implementations, the materials handling facility 330 may also bedesignated as a delivery and/or receiving location that mobile basesand/or transportation units may travel to and from for delivering and/orreceiving items.

In various implementations, the receiving locations may also representlocations for receiving an item that is to be returned by a user. Forexample, when a user wishes to return an item, the user may schedule areceiving location (e.g., at or near the user's residence or place ofwork), where the item may be received by a transportation unit andsubsequently transported back to a mobile base. In anotherimplementation, a user may request that a transportation unit beutilized to deliver an item to a user specified delivery location, andthen wait for the user to determine whether the user wishes to keep theitem. For example, a user may have a pair of shoes delivered by atransportation unit, and then determine that the shoes are the wrongsize or color, for which the user may wish to have the transportationunit subsequently transport the shoes back to the mobile base for areturn. In another implementation, a return may be expected as part of adelivery process for an item. For example, when an item is delivered,the transportation unit that delivered the item may be utilized forcertain types of returns (e.g., returning a defective or worn-out itemin exchange for the new item that has been delivered, returningpackaging that was utilized for protecting the item during delivery butwhich is no longer needed, etc.).

As will be described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 16, whena user returns an item, a credit or other compensation may be issued forthe received item that may initiate a refund or replacement process,once the item is received by a transportation unit or a mobile base.Similarly, merchants or vendors may have a credit issued or receiveother compensation for an item once the item is received by atransportation unit or at the mobile base. It will be appreciated thatby issuing credits or other compensation for received items when theyare received by a transportation unit or mobile base, refunds, payments,etc. may be initiated more quickly (e.g., as compared to traditionalsystems where an item would need to be received at a materials handlingfacility before a credit for the item would be issued).

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a top-down view of atransportation unit 500 in the form of an automated aerial vehicle (alsoreferred to herein as an “AAV”), according to an implementation. Asillustrated, the transportation unit 500 includes eight propellers502-1, 502-2, 502-3, 502-4, 502-5, 502-6, 502-7, 502-8 spaced about theframe 504 of the transportation unit. The propellers 502 may be any formof propeller (e.g., graphite, carbon fiber) and of a size sufficient tolift the transportation unit 500 and any item engaged by thetransportation unit 500 so that the transportation unit 500 can navigatethrough the air, for example, to deliver an item to or from a mobilebase 200. While this example includes eight propellers, in otherimplementations, more or fewer propellers may be utilized. Likewise, insome implementations, the propellers may be positioned at differentlocations on the transportation unit 500. In addition, alternativemethods of propulsion may be utilized. For example, fans, jets,turbojets, turbo fans, jet engines, and the like may be used to propelthe transportation unit.

The frame 504 or body of the transportation unit 500 may likewise be ofany suitable material, such as graphite, carbon fiber, and/or aluminum.In this example, the frame 504 of the transportation unit 500 includesfour rigid members 505-1, 505-2, 505-3, 505-4, or beams arranged in ahash pattern with the rigid members intersecting and joined atapproximately perpendicular angles. In this example, rigid members 505-1and 505-3 are arranged parallel to one another and are approximately thesame length. Rigid members 505-2 and 505-4 are arranged parallel to oneanother, yet perpendicular to rigid members 505-1 and 505-3. Rigidmembers 505-2 and 505-4 are approximately the same length. In someembodiments, all of the rigid members 505 may be of approximately thesame length, while in other implementations, some or all of the rigidmembers may be of different lengths. Likewise, the spacing between thetwo sets of rigid members may be approximately the same or different.

While the implementation illustrated in FIG. 5 includes four rigidmembers 505 that are joined to form the frame 504, in otherimplementations, there may be fewer or more components to the frame 504.For example, rather than four rigid members, in other implementations,the frame 504 of the transportation unit 500 may be configured toinclude six rigid members. In such an example, two of the rigid members505-2, 505-4 may be positioned parallel to one another. Rigid members505-1, 505-3 and two additional rigid members on either side of rigidmembers 505-1, 505-3 may all be positioned parallel to one another andperpendicular to rigid members 505-2, 505-4. With additional rigidmembers, additional cavities with rigid members on all four sides may beformed by the frame 504. As discussed further below, a cavity within theframe 504 may be configured to include an item engagement mechanism forthe engagement, transport, and delivery of item(s) and/or containersthat contain item(s).

In some implementations, the transportation unit may be configured foraerodynamics. For example, an aerodynamic housing may be included on thetransportation unit that encloses the transportation unit control system510, one or more of the rigid members 505, the frame 504, and/or othercomponents of the transportation unit 500. The housing may be made ofany suitable material(s) such as graphite, carbon fiber, aluminum, etc.Likewise, in some implementations, the location and/or the shape of theitem engagement mechanism and/or any items or containers may beaerodynamically designed. As will be described in more detail below, insome instances a container may be utilized for holding an item, whereinthe item engagement mechanism engages the item by engaging thecontainer. For example, specially shaped containers for use with thetransportation unit 500 may be aerodynamically designed and provided inthe mobile base 200, such that an agent or automated system is able toselect one of the containers and place the item in the container forengagement by the transportation unit 500. In some implementations, theitem engagement mechanism may be configured such that when an itemand/or container is engaged it is enclosed within the frame and/orhousing of the transportation unit 500 so that no additional drag iscreated during transport of the item. In other implementations, the itemand/or container may be shaped to reduce drag and provide a moreaerodynamic design. For example, if a portion of a container extendsbelow the transportation unit when engaged, the exposed portion of thecontainer may have a curved shape.

The propellers 502 and corresponding propeller motors are positioned atboth ends of each rigid member 505. The propeller motors may be any formof motor capable of generating enough speed with the propellers to liftthe transportation unit 500 and any engaged item thereby enabling aerialtransport of the item. For example, the propeller motors may each be aFX-4006-13 740 kv multi rotor motor.

Extending outward from each rigid member is a support arm 506 that isconnected to a safety barrier 508. In this example, the safety barrieris positioned around and attached to the transportation unit 500 in sucha manner that the motors and propellers 502 are within the perimeter ofthe safety barrier 508. The safety barrier may be plastic, rubber, etc.Likewise, depending on the length of the support arms 506 and/or thelength, number or positioning of the rigid members 505, the safetybarrier may be round, oval, or any other shape.

Mounted to the frame 504 is the transportation unit control system 510.In this example, the transportation unit control system 510 is mountedin the middle and on top of the frame 504. The transportation unitcontrol system 510, as discussed in further detail below with respect toFIG. 6, controls the operation, routing, navigation, communication,object sense and avoid, and the item engagement mechanism of thetransportation unit 500.

The transportation unit 500 also includes one or more power modules 512.In this example, the transportation unit 500 includes two power modules512 that are removably mounted to the frame 504. The power module forthe transportation unit may be in the form of battery power, solarpower, gas power, super capacitor, fuel cell, alternative powergeneration source, or a combination thereof. For example, the powermodules 512 may each be a 6000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, polymerlithium ion (Li-poly, Li-Pol, LiPo, LIP, PLI, or Lip) battery. The powermodule(s) 512 are coupled to and provide power for the transportationunit control system 510 and the propeller motors. In someimplementations, one or more of the power modules may be configured suchthat it can be autonomously removed and/or replaced with another powermodule while the transportation unit is landed (e.g., such power modulesmay be provided by the mobile base 200). In some implementations, whenthe transportation unit lands at a designated location (e.g., on themobile base), the transportation unit may engage with a charging memberat the location that will recharge the power module.

As mentioned above, the transportation unit 500 may also include an itemengagement mechanism 514. The item engagement mechanism may beconfigured to engage and disengage items and/or containers that holditems. In this example, the item engagement mechanism 514 is positionedwithin a cavity of the frame 504 that is formed by the intersections ofthe rigid members 505. The item engagement mechanism may be positionedbeneath the transportation unit control system 510. In implementationswith additional rigid members, the transportation unit may includeadditional item engagement mechanisms and/or the item engagementmechanism 514 may be positioned in a different cavity within the frame504. The item engagement mechanism may be of any size sufficient tosecurely engage and disengage items and/or containers that containitems. In other implementations, the engagement mechanism may operate asthe container, containing the item(s) to be delivered. The itemengagement mechanism communicates with (via wired or wirelesscommunication) and is controlled by the transportation unit controlsystem 510.

While the implementations of the transportation unit discussed hereinutilize propellers to achieve and maintain flight, in otherimplementations, the transportation unit may be configured in othermanners. In one implementation, the transportation unit may includefixed wings and/or a combination of both propellers and fixed wings. Forexample, the transportation unit may utilize one or more propellers toenable takeoff and landing and a fixed wing configuration or acombination wing and propeller configuration to sustain flight while thetransportation unit is airborne.

As will be described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 6, thetransportation unit control system 510 may operate in conjunction withor may otherwise utilize or communicate (e.g., via wired and/or wirelesscommunication) with one or more components of the mobile base managementsystem 326 and/or the mobile base 200. Likewise, components of themobile base management system 326 and/or the mobile base 200 maygenerally interact and communicate with the transportation unit controlsystem 510.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example transportation unitcontrol system 510, such as may be utilized for the transportation unit500 of FIG. 5, or for other types of transportation units. With respectto other types of transportation units, as one example thetransportation unit control system 510 may be at least partiallyincluded in a communication device (e.g., a cell phone carried by arider of a transportation unit such as a bicycle). In various examples,the block diagram of FIG. 5 may be illustrative of one or more aspectsof the transportation unit control system 510 that may be used toimplement the various systems and methods discussed herein. In theillustrated implementation, the transportation unit control system 510includes one or more processors 602, coupled to a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium 620 via an input/output (I/O) interface610. The transportation unit control system 510 may also include apropulsion controller 604 (e.g., for controlling one or more motors,engines, etc.), a power supply module 606 and/or a navigation system608. The transportation unit control system 510 further includes an itemengagement mechanism controller 612, a network interface 616, and one ormore input/output devices 618.

In various implementations, the transportation unit control system 510may be a uniprocessor system including one processor 602, or amultiprocessor system including several processors 602 (e.g., two, four,eight, or another suitable number). The processor(s) 602 may be anysuitable processor capable of executing instructions. For example, invarious implementations, the processor(s) 602 may be general-purpose orembedded processors implementing any of a variety of instruction setarchitectures (ISAs), such as the x86, PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, orany other suitable ISA. In multiprocessor systems, each processor(s) 602may commonly, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA.

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium 620 may beconfigured to store executable instructions, data, travel paths, and/ordata items accessible by the processor(s) 602. In variousimplementations, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium 620may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as staticrandom access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM),nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory. In theillustrated implementation, program instructions and data implementingdesired functions, such as those described herein, are shown storedwithin the non-transitory computer readable storage medium 620 asprogram instructions 622, data storage 624 and travel path data 626,respectively. In other implementations, program instructions, data,and/or travel paths may be received, sent, or stored upon differenttypes of computer-accessible media, such as non-transitory media, or onsimilar media separate from the non-transitory computer readable storagemedium 620 or the transportation unit control system 510. Generallyspeaking, a non-transitory, computer readable storage medium may includestorage media or memory media such as magnetic or optical media, e.g.,disk or CD/DVD-ROM, coupled to the transportation unit control system510 via the I/O interface 610. Program instructions and data stored viaa non-transitory computer readable medium may be transmitted bytransmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, ordigital signals, which may be conveyed via a communication medium suchas a network and/or a wireless link, such as may be implemented via thenetwork interface 616.

In one implementation, the I/O interface 610 may be configured tocoordinate I/O traffic between the processor(s) 602, the non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium 620, and any peripheral devices, thenetwork interface or other peripheral interfaces, such as input/outputdevices 618. In some implementations, the I/O interface 610 may performany necessary protocol, timing or other data transformations to convertdata signals from one component (e.g., non-transitory computer readablestorage medium 620) into a format suitable for use by another component(e.g., processor(s) 602). In some implementations, the I/O interface 610may include support for devices attached through various types ofperipheral buses, such as a variant of the Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (PCI) bus standard or the Universal Serial Bus (USB)standard, for example. In some implementations, the function of the I/Ointerface 610 may be split into two or more separate components, such asa north bridge and a south bridge, for example. Additionally, in someimplementations, some or all of the functionality of the I/O interface610, such as an interface to the non-transitory computer readablestorage medium 620, may be incorporated directly into the processor(s)602.

The propulsion controller 604 communicates with the navigation system608 (e.g., for adjusting the power of each propeller motor of thetransportation unit 500 of FIG. 5 to guide the transportation unit alonga determined flight path). The navigation system 608 may include aglobal positioning system (GPS), indoor positioning system (IPS), orother similar system and/or sensors that can be used to navigate thetransportation unit 500 to and/or from a location. The item engagementmechanism controller 612 communicates with the motor(s) (e.g., a servomotor) used to engage and/or disengage items. For example, when thetransportation unit is positioned over a level surface at a deliverylocation, the item engagement mechanism controller 612 may provide aninstruction to a motor that controls the item engagement mechanism torelease an item.

The network interface 616 may be configured to allow data to beexchanged between the transportation unit control system 510, otherdevices attached to a network, such as other computer systems (e.g.,remote computing resources 310), and/or with transportation unit controlsystems of other transportation units. For example, the networkinterface 616 may enable wireless communication between thetransportation unit 500 and the mobile base 200 and/or the mobile basemanagement system 326 that is implemented on one or more of the remotecomputing resources 310. For wireless communication, an antenna of atransportation unit or other communication components may be utilized.As another example, the network interface 616 may enable wirelesscommunication between numerous transportation units. In variousimplementations, the network interface 616 may support communication viawireless general data networks, such as a Wi-Fi network. For example,the network interface 616 may support communication viatelecommunications networks such as cellular communication networks,satellite networks, and the like.

In some implementations, input/output devices 618 may include one ormore displays, imaging devices, thermal sensors, infrared sensors, timeof flight sensors, accelerometers, pressure sensors, weather sensors,etc. Multiple input/output devices 618 may be present and controlled bythe transportation unit control system 510. One or more of these sensorsmay be utilized to assist in the landing as well as avoid obstaclesduring flight.

As shown in FIG. 6, the memory may include program instructions 622 thatmay be configured to implement the example processes and/orsub-processes described herein. The data storage 624 may include variousdata stores for maintaining data items that may be provided fordetermining travel paths, receiving items, landing, parking, identifyinglocations for engaging or disengaging items, etc. In variousimplementations, the parameter values and other data illustrated hereinas being included in one or more data stores may be combined with otherinformation not described or may be partitioned differently into more,fewer, or different data structures. In some implementations, datastores may be physically located in one memory or may be distributedamong two or more memories.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the transportation unitcontrol system 510 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limitthe scope of the present disclosure. In particular, the computing systemand devices may include any combination of hardware or software that canperform the indicated functions, including computers, network devices,internet appliances, PDAs, wireless phones, pagers, etc. Thetransportation unit control system 510 may also be connected to otherdevices that are not illustrated, or instead may operate as astand-alone system. In addition, the functionality provided by theillustrated components may in some implementations be combined in fewercomponents or distributed in additional components. Similarly, in someimplementations, the functionality of some of the illustrated componentsmay not be provided and/or other additional functionality may beavailable.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, while various itemsare illustrated as being stored in memory or storage while being used,these items or portions of them may be transferred between memory andother storage devices for purposes of memory management and dataintegrity. Alternatively, in other implementations, some or all of thesoftware components may execute in memory on another device andcommunicate with the illustrated transportation unit control system 510.Some or all of the system components or data structures may also bestored (e.g., as instructions or structured data) on a non-transitory,computer-accessible medium or a portable article to be read by anappropriate drive, various examples of which are described herein. Insome implementations, instructions stored on a computer-accessiblemedium separate from the transportation unit control system 510 may betransmitted to the transportation unit control system 510 viatransmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, ordigital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a wirelesslink. Various implementations may further include receiving, sending, orstoring instructions and/or data implemented in accordance with theforegoing description upon a computer-accessible medium. Accordingly,the techniques described herein may be practiced with othertransportation unit control system configurations.

While the functional components of the example transportation unit 500are discussed herein as part of the transportation unit 500, in otherimplementations, one or more of the functional components may bedistributed throughout the mobile base 200 and/or implemented as part ofthe mobile base management system 326. For example, one or more of theaspects of the program instructions 622 may be implemented as part ofthe mobile base management system 326.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 700 forprocessing a user order for an item. This process, and each processdescribed herein, may be implemented by the architectures describedherein or by other architectures. The process is illustrated as acollection of blocks in a logical flow graph. Some of the blocksrepresent operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or acombination thereof. In the context of software, the blocks representcomputer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer readablemedia that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the recitedoperations. Generally, computer-executable instructions includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the likethat perform particular functions or implement particular abstract datatypes.

The computer readable media may include non-transitory computer readablestorage media, which may include hard drives, floppy diskettes, opticaldisks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories(RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memory, magnetic or optical cards,solid-state memory devices, or other types of storage media suitable forstoring electronic instructions. In addition, in some implementationsthe computer readable media may include a transitory computer readablesignal (in compressed or uncompressed form). Examples of computerreadable signals, whether modulated using a carrier or not, include, butare not limited to, signals that a computer system hosting or running acomputer program can be configured to access, including signalsdownloaded through the Internet or other networks. Finally, the order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be combinedin any order and/or in parallel to implement the process.

The example process 700 begins with the receipt of a purchase requestinitiated by a user, as in 702. Upon receiving a purchase request for anitem from a user, a determination is made as to the estimated deliverytimeframe for that item, as in 704. In some examples, this may includeidentifying a materials handling facility with the requested item instock and estimating the time required to fulfill the item to the user.In other implementations, the estimated delivery timeframe may be a setday from the date of the purchase request or a series of days. Forexample, a user may specify that the delivery timeframe is to be one dayfrom the date of the purchase request or between three and five daysfrom the date of the purchase request. In still other implementations,the estimated delivery timeframe may be a set day of the week upon whichthe user has requested to have items delivered. For example, a user maypreselect to have items ordered during the week delivered on Thursday ofevery week.

After the estimated delivery timeframe is determined, a determination ismade as to whether a mobile base will be within a delivery area thatincludes a user specified delivery location, as in 706. As describedabove, in various implementations, mobile bases may follow scheduledroutes or may otherwise be directed to service a delivery area. If it isdetermined that one or more mobile bases will be within the specifieddelivery area, a determination is made as to whether one of the mobilebases is selected by the user for delivery, as in 708. In variousimplementations, an interaction may be received from a user through auser interface that presents delivery options to the user and receives aselection from the user (e.g., for selecting an available mobile base orother delivery option). In addition, in various implementations a usermay preselect or provide a preference for deliveries from a mobile baseor other delivery options. A user may also be provided with options forselecting a type of transportation unit to be utilized for deliveringthe item from a mobile base (e.g., selecting a delivery by an automatedaerial vehicle rather than a bicycle). In various implementations,different factors may be evaluated for determining whether a mobile basewill be presented as an option for a delivery. For example, a mobilebase's current available capacity, ability to handle items of certainsizes, suitability for delivering certain types of items (e.g.,refrigerated or fragile), etc. may all be considered. If an availablemobile base is selected by the user for delivery, the selected mobilebase is designated for the delivery of the item, as in 710.

If it is determined that a mobile base is not selected for delivery, asin 708, or that no mobile bases will be within the delivery area, as in706, another type of delivery option is designated (e.g., as selected bythe user) for the item, as in 712. In various implementations, otherdelivery options may include traditional carrier deliveries, providingan item at a pickup location where a user may retrieve the item, etc.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 800 for fillinga mobile base with items for delivery. The example process begins bydirecting items to be placed into storage areas of the mobile base, asin 802. For example, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2,for items that have been ordered with a mobile base designated for thedelivery, a materials handling facility may pick and place the ordereditems in one or more storage areas (e.g., bins) of the mobile base. Asalso described above, mobile bases may also be used to delivernon-ordered items, such as high-volume and/or release day items. Asanother example, in addition or as an alternative to receiving items ata materials handling facility, the mobile base may also travel to afirst receiving area or location for receiving items (e.g., from amerchant, vendor, etc.) before travelling to a final delivery area whereitems will be delivered.

After the items have been placed into the storage areas of the mobilebase, data may be synchronized regarding the storage areas, as in 804.In various implementations, at least some of the data that issynchronized may be generated as the items are placed into the storageareas of the mobile base. For example, as described above with respectto FIG. 2, the mobile base and/or individual storage areas (e.g., bins)may include unique identifiers, such as a bar code, QR code, uniquenumber, etc., to enable tracking, identification and association ofitems placed into the storage areas of the mobile base. Scanning of theidentifiers for the storage areas and the picked items may result in theitems becoming associated with the storage areas and tracked with themobile base. In various implementations, the associated data may besynchronized among a computing system of the mobile base, the mobilebase management system, and/or other systems.

After the data has been synchronized, the mobile base is directed totravel to a delivery area where transportation units will transportitems to user specified delivery locations, as in 806. As describedabove with respect to FIG. 2, in various implementations the mobile basemay include or otherwise be transported by any type of mobile machine,such as trucks, cars, watercraft, aircraft, etc., and control of themobile machine may be manual (e.g., a driver) or automated (e.g.,directly or remotely controlled by an automated system, robotic, etc.).As described above with respect to FIG. 4, in various implementationsthe delivery area that the mobile base travels to may include a numberof user specified delivery locations.

Once the mobile base is in transit or has reached the delivery area,notifications may be sent to users confirming that ordered items are inthe mobile base, as in 808. For example, a user may wish to receive aconfirmation that an ordered item is in the mobile base and that theordered item will soon be delivered by a transportation unit. In variousimplementations, such notifications may further indicate an estimatedarrival time for the mobile base at the delivery area and/or of thetransportation unit at the user specified delivery location. Forexample, GPS signals may be utilized to determine the coordinates of themobile base and/or transportation unit. In various implementations,users may be able to view a map on a website that shows and updates thecurrent location of the mobile base and/or transportation unit, or mayotherwise receive notifications regarding current locations.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 900 for aselection of a transportation unit for a delivery of an item. Theexample process begins with a determination of a delivery location foran item, as in 902. For example, a delivery location may be specified ina user's order. After a delivery location is determined, a traveldistance from the mobile base to the delivery location is determined, asin 904. In various implementations, different travel distances may bedetermined for different types of transportation units, as differenttypes of transportation units may each travel by different types ofdelivery paths. For example, an automated aerial vehicle may be able totravel along a relatively straight route through the air, while abicycle may need to travel certain types of pathways, an automobile mayneed to follow certain types of roadways, etc.

After the one or more travel distances are determined, thetransportation units that are available for delivering the item aredetermined, as in 906. In various implementations, the availability ofthe transportation units may depend on certain factors. For example,only certain transportation units may currently be ready to travel(e.g., charged, fueled, etc.). As another example, only certaintransportation units may have a sufficient range for the specifiedtravel distance and/or capacity for carrying the type of item (e.g., dueto weight, size, etc.).

Once the available transportation units are determined, a transportationfactor evaluation sub-process is performed, as in 1000. An exampletransportation factor evaluation sub-process 1000 is described in moredetail below with respect to FIG. 10. Based on the results of thetransportation factor evaluation sub-process 1000, a selectedtransportation unit is designated for the delivery of the item, as in910.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example sub-process 1000 forevaluating transportation factors for selecting a transportation unitfor transporting an item. The example sub-process begins with adetermination as to whether more than one type of transportation unit isavailable, as in 1002. In various implementations, different types oftransportation units may be utilized for transporting items to or from amobile base. For example, some of the different types of transportationunits that may be utilized may include automated aerial vehicles,bicycles, automobiles, mobile drive units, other automated mobilevehicles, other mobile machines, etc. In addition, in someimplementations human agents (e.g., travelling on foot) may be utilizedfor transporting items to and from mobile bases.

If more than one type of transportation unit is determined to beavailable, a determination is made of current conditions that may affectthe travel of the available types of transportation units, as in 1004.In various implementations, different types of current conditions (e.g.,weather, traffic, etc.) may affect the travel of different types oftransportation units differently. For example, heavy traffic may inhibitthe travel of transportation units that are required to utilizeroadways. As another example, high winds or other various weatherconditions may affect the travel of an automated aerial vehicle. In yetanother example, crowded conditions in an area where human beings havegathered may inhibit travel due to safety concerns with regard tocertain types of transportation units. In various implementations,information regarding current conditions may be provided from varioussources. For example, various sensors on a mobile base, remote computingresources, reports from one or more of the transportation units that arecurrently delivering items, etc., may provide information regardingcurrent conditions.

After current conditions have been determined, estimated travel timesmay be determined for the different types of transportation units, as in1006. In various implementations, the estimated travel times may dependon a number of factors. For example, different types of transportationunits may be able to travel over different routes and/or at differentspeeds. The different speeds may depend on factors such as speed limits,advisable speeds for safety, economical factors (e.g., energy usagerates), etc. After the estimated travel times have been determined,estimated travel costs may be determined for the different types oftransportation units, as in 1008. In various implementations, theestimated travel costs may depend on a number of factors. For example,one factor may be a current cost of energy or fuel. As another example,the length of the selected travel route or other travel factors mayaffect the estimated travel costs.

After the estimated travel costs have been determined, a type oftransportation unit is selected for the delivery (e.g., based on anoptimization function), as in 1010. In various implementations, anoptimization function may be utilized that takes into account thedetermined transportation factors such as current conditions, estimatedtravel times, estimated travel costs, etc. In one implementation, theoptimization function may determine a score for each type oftransportation unit that is based on a selected weighting of the abovetransportation factors and may select the type of transportation unitthat has the highest score. In another implementation, the selection ofthe type of transportation unit may be based primarily on one of thetransportation factors. For example, a type of transportation unit maybe selected based primarily on having the fastest travel time or thelowest travel cost for delivering the item. As another example, a typeof transportation unit may be selected based primarily on a currentcondition (e.g., weather, traffic, etc.) inhibiting the travel of one ormore alternative types of transportation units (e.g., an automatedaerial vehicle may be selected over an automobile due to heavy trafficor a blocked roadway).

As noted above, the delivery paths that each type of transportation unitmay be able to follow may be related to at least some of thetransportation factors (e.g., travel times and travel costs), and insome instances the selection of a type of transportation unit maycorrespond to a preferred expected delivery path. For example, apreferred delivery path may correspond to one with the lowest associatedcost or highest travel speed, or may be preferable due to other reasons(e.g., safety considerations for not flying through areas where humanbeings are likely to be encountered, etc.) It will be appreciated thatin various implementations, certain of the factors (e.g., estimatedtravel times and estimated travel costs) may be adjustable for certaintypes of transportation units, such that the optimization process may beiterative and may consider and adjust the various transportation factorswhen making a selection. For example, different types of transportationunits may have different costs or maximum travel ranges associated withdifferent speeds of travel (e.g., due to reduced energy efficiencylevels at higher travel speeds), for which different possible travelspeeds may be considered when selecting a type of transportation unit.If different travel speeds are considered, once a type of transportationunit is selected based on a particular travel speed, that travel speedmay be included in the instructions that are provided for the deliveryof the item.

In various implementations, certain types of transportation units may beable to utilize multiple modes of travel. For example, an automatedaerial vehicle may in addition to travelling by air also havecapabilities for travelling along the ground. Some transportation unitsmay also be able to travel with certain types of assistance (e.g., anautomated aerial vehicle landing on a taxi, a bicycle placed on a rackon a public bus, etc.) Such alternatives may be considered whenselecting a type of transportation unit. If different travel modes areconsidered, once a type of transportation unit is selected based on aparticular travel mode or a combination of travel modes along aspecified travel path, the travel mode(s) may be included in theinstructions that are provided for the delivery of the item.

In various implementations, the selection of the transportation unit mayalso be based on other evaluations of the above noted or othertransportation factors. For example, a mobile base may be expected tomove from a first location to a second location during the time that atransportation unit will be delivering the item, and the selection ofthe type of transportation unit may be based at least in part on anability of the type of transportation unit to return to the secondlocation within a certain amount of time after the delivery of the itemis complete (e.g., the type of transportation unit may need to have aminimum range or speed for meeting the mobile base at the new location).As another example, certain items may have associated target deliverytimes, for which a type of transportation unit may be selected for adelivery based at least in part on an ability to meet a target deliverytime.

After a type of transportation unit has been selected, as in 1010, or ifonly one type of transportation unit is available, as in 1002, adetermination is made as to whether more than one transportation unit ofthe type is available, as in 1012. For example, if the selected type oftransportation unit is an automated aerial vehicle, the mobile base mayhave several automated aerial vehicles available to choose from fordelivering the item. If more than one transportation unit of theselected type is available, one of the transportation units is selectedfor transporting the item based on factors specific to the type oftransportation unit, as in 1014. For example, a transportation unitrunning on electricity which has been fully recharged may be selectedover other similar transportation units of the same type that are thenrecharging. Once a transportation unit is selected as in 1014, or ifonly one transportation unit of a selected type is available, as in1012, the identification of the selected transportation unit isreturned, as in 1016.

In various implementations, a selection of a type of transportation unitmay be changed for various reasons. For example, if a selected type oftransportation unit has mechanical failure and is the onlytransportation unit of that type, or if a current condition has beendetermined to have changed significantly before a transportation unithas departed with an item (e.g., a weather condition arises rapidly,etc.), an evaluation may again be performed to determine if a differenttype of transportation unit should be selected.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1100 for atransportation unit receiving an item from a mobile base for delivery.The example process begins with a receipt/confirmation of anidentification of a transportation unit at a mobile base, as in 1102. Invarious implementations, as described above, transportation units maytravel to a mobile base for receiving items for delivery. For example, atransportation unit may be stationed at a fixed geographic location in adelivery area, and may travel to a mobile base when the mobile base iswithin the delivery area. The particular transportation unit may beidentified at the mobile base in accordance with a unique identifier orother identification protocol that may be transmitted, scanned, etc. foridentifying the transportation unit. For example, the transportationunit may transmit a coded sequence, include a barcode or QR code thatmay be scanned, or may otherwise be identified by the mobile base ormobile base management system. The identification of the transportationunit may be utilized to assist with determining which delivery thetransportation unit is associated with, that the transportation unit isauthorized for making the delivery, etc. In various implementations,transportation units may also be carried on a mobile base, for which theidentifications may have previously been received/confirmed, and whichmay be utilized when activating a selected one of the transportationunits for a delivery.

After a transportation unit identification has been received/confirmedat a mobile base, an item is provided to the transportation unit fordelivery, as in 1104. In various implementations, items may be providedto transportation units in different ways. For example, the mobile basemay include an opening in a roof, side, etc. which serves as anextraction point where an agent or an automatic storage and retrievalsystem may present an item for engagement by the transportation unit.For example, an item presented through an opening of the roof of themobile base may allow an automated aerial vehicle to land for engagingthe item. In various implementations, such maneuvers (e.g., an automatedaerial vehicle landing on or taking off from the roof of a mobile base),may be accomplished even while the mobile base is in motion. Forexample, while the mobile base is traveling along a route, an automatedaerial vehicle may be commanded to land on or take off from the roof ofthe mobile base with a received or otherwise engaged item withoutrequiring the mobile base to stop.

Once the item has been provided to the transportation unit, instructionsare provided for delivering the item to a delivery location, as in 1106.In various implementations, the transportation unit may also have beenprovided with the instructions for the delivery prior to receiving theitem. For example, a remotely located transportation unit may receivethe delivery instructions including the delivery location where the itemis to be delivered at the same time that the transportation unitreceives instructions including the location of the mobile base (e.g., apickup location) where the transportation unit is to travel forreceiving the item. As described above with respect to FIG. 3, invarious implementations the delivery instructions, as well as othercommunications to the transportation unit, may be received from a mobilebase, remote computing resource, mobile base management system, etc.

In various implementations, the delivery instructions may also includeinstructions regarding an interaction that is to be performed when adelivery is made. For example, a transportation unit may include anelectronic pad for receiving a signature or otherwise be able to receivea specialized code from a user that confirms a receipt of the delivery.As another example, a transportation unit may be configured to receivepayments (e.g., cash, electronic cards, electronic transfers, etc.) andthe delivery instructions may indicate that the transportation unit isto collect a payment from the user when the delivery is made. After thetransportation unit has received the delivery instructions, thetransportation unit departs with the item, as in 1108.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1200 for adelivery of an item by a transportation unit. The example process beginswith the transportation unit engaging the item, as in 1202. In variousimplementations, different types of transportation units may havedifferent methods for engaging an item. For example, as described abovewith respect to FIG. 5, an automatic aerial vehicle may include anengagement mechanism for engaging an item.

After the item is engaged, a delivery path is followed to a deliverylocation, as in 1204. In various implementations, delivery pathinstructions may be received by the transportation unit (e.g., from themobile base, from the mobile base management system, from a remotecomputing resource, etc.). As a delivery path is followed, adetermination is made as to whether any obstacles are encountered, as in1206. If obstacles are encountered, the path to the delivery locationmay be altered to avoid the obstacles, as in 1208. For example, anautomated aerial vehicle may encounter obstacles along a flight path(e.g., buildings, trees, power lines, etc.) for which the flight pathmay be altered to fly over, under or around the obstacles. As anotherexample, transportation units that follow roadways may encounterobstacles (e.g., construction, blocked roadways, etc.) for which adifferent route may be calculated and taken.

After the delivery path has been altered to avoid any obstacles, thetransportation unit continues to travel along the altered delivery path,as in 1204, and if additional obstacles are encountered, the process foraltering the delivery path for avoiding the obstacles is repeated, as in1206 and 1208. Once the transportation unit has completed the altereddelivery path, or if no obstacles have been encountered, as in 1206, thetransportation unit arrives at the delivery location and disengages theitem, as in 1210. As noted above, in various implementations thetransportation unit may also be configured to perform an interactionwhen the item is disengaged (e.g., collecting a signature or payment forthe item, etc.) After the transportation unit has disengaged the item, aconfirmation of the delivery is sent from the transportation unit, as in1212. In various implementations, the confirmation of the delivery ofthe item may be received by the mobile base, the mobile base managementsystem, a remote computing resource, etc. and may be utilized forupdating the status in the mobile base management system regarding thedelivery of the item, for providing a notification to a user regardingthe delivery, etc.

Once the confirmation of the delivery has been sent, a determination ismade as to whether the transportation unit will return to the mobilebase that the item was received from, as in 1214. For example, thetransportation unit may be stationed at the mobile base and/or mayotherwise receive instructions for returning to the mobile base (e.g.,for making additional deliveries). If the transportation unit is toreturn to the mobile base, the transportation unit follows a return pathto the mobile base, as in 1216. If the transportation unit is not toreturn to the mobile base, the transportation returns to anotherdesignated location, as in 1218. For example, the transportation unitmay be stationed at a geographic location within the delivery area,which the transportation unit may return to after the delivery iscomplete. As another example, the transportation unit may travel to adifferent mobile base (e.g., if the other mobile base is closer, if theoriginal mobile base has subsequently left the area, etc.).

In various implementations, certain portions of the example process 1200may be repeated, in particular with regard to deliveries of multipleitems. For example, if a transportation unit is carrying multiple itemsthat are to be delivered to different delivery locations, thetransportation unit may travel from one delivery location to anotherbefore returning to a mobile base or other designated location. Asanother example, a transportation unit may receive multiple items fromdifferent mobile bases or other receiving locations before deliveringthe multiple items to one or more delivery locations.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1300 for amobile base returning to a materials handling facility after deliveringitems. The example process begins with a determination as to whether oneor more items remain in storage areas of the mobile base at the time themobile base is traveling back to the materials handling facility, as in1302. In various implementations, items may remain in storage areas fora number of reasons. For example, a user may have cancelled an order, orotherwise instructed that the item should not be delivered at thepresent time. As another example, a transportation unit may have beenunable to complete a delivery of an item (e.g., due to mechanicalfailure, current conditions inhibiting the travel of the transportationunit, etc.). As another example, various high volume or other extraitems that were stocked in the mobile base may not have been sold.

If it is determined that one or more items remain in storage areas, adetermination is made as to whether additional transportation units maybe sent for attempting delivery of the one or more remaining items, asin 1304. In various implementations, an additional transportation unitmay be sent to attempt delivery if the initial delivery attempt was notcompleted (e.g. due to mechanical failure, etc.). If an additionaltransportation unit is to be sent for the delivery, the additionaltransportation unit is directed to attempt delivery of the item, as in1306.

If no additional transportation units are to be sent, as in 1304, orafter any additional transportation units have been sent, as in 1306, adetermination is made as to whether messages will be sent to attempt toclear remaining items, as in 1308. In various implementations, suchmessages may be utilized to sell extra or unclaimed items (e.g.,additional high volume items or release day items that have not beensold, items that were part of a user order that has subsequently beencancelled, etc.). It will be appreciated that selling such items whilethey are still in the mobile base may save the time and expenseassociated with returning the items to the materials handling facility.Such offers to users for selling the items may indicate that the itemsare available to be delivered immediately via transportation units andmay include discounts or other incentives to encourage users to purchasethe remaining items. If such messages are to be sent, the messages aresent to selected users indicating the availability of the items, as in1310. In various implementations, users may be selected for receivingmessages based on proximity and/or other factors. For example, certainusers may have indicated a desire to receive such messages when itemsare available, may be located near the current location of the mobilebase, etc. In various implementations, if a user purchases an item inresponse to the messages, a transportation unit may be utilized todeliver the item from the mobile base to a delivery location that isspecified by the user. After messages have been sent to selected users,as in 1310, or if no messages are to be sent, as in 1308, or if no itemsremain in storage areas, as in 1302, the mobile base is directed toreturn to the materials handling facility, as in 1312.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1400 fordirecting a relative positioning of mobile bases in an adjustablenetwork, as in 1400. The example process begins with a determination ofpositioning factors as related to the positioning of the mobile bases,as in 1402. In various implementations, the mobile base positioningfactors may be related to data such as a number of scheduled oranticipated delivery and/or receiving locations in an area, anoccurrence of a temporal event in an area that is expected to create ademand for deliveries of items, traffic conditions, weather, etc. Forexample, a sporting event (e.g., a football game) may be expected tocreate a high demand for deliveries of certain types of items (e.g.,sporting paraphernalia, food items, etc.) in an area in or around wherethe sporting event is held. Similarly, merchants or vendors (e.g., ofsporting paraphernalia, food items, etc.) in the area may wish toestablish a number of receiving locations where items may be received bytransportation units for delivery to users. As another example, an areathat is experiencing conditions that result in slower travel times(e.g., due to an event, weather, traffic, etc.) may require more mobilebases and/or associated transportation units than usual for makingdeliveries due to the slower travel times.

After the mobile base positioning factors are determined, adetermination is made as to what mobile bases are available within thenetwork, as in 1404. For example, some mobile bases may currently be outof service or otherwise unavailable for use (e.g., due to having beenpreviously designated for other areas, mechanical failure, etc.). Afterthe available mobile bases have been determined, a relative position foreach of the mobile bases is determined, as in 1406. In variousimplementations, an optimization method may be utilized for determiningthe relative positioning of each of the mobile bases. For example, anestimated number of delivery and/or receiving locations in an area andthe geographic distributions of the delivery and/or receiving locationsmay be utilized to determine where a mobile base should be positioned ina given area and/or the relative spacing between mobile bases so as tobest service any anticipated demand. Once the relative positions foreach of the mobile bases have been determined, the mobile bases areinstructed to travel to the relative positions, as in 1408.

In various implementations, the relative positions may each correspondto a different delivery and/or receiving area, wherein each of the areasmay be defined as encompassing the delivery and/or receiving locationsthat items will be delivered to or received from by transportationunits. In various implementations, the example process 1400 may also berepeated (e.g., at selected intervals, as mobile base positioningfactors change, etc.). For example, if a mobile base positioning factorchanges (e.g., due to an increase in a number of scheduled delivery orreceiving locations in a new or existing area), the relative positionsof the mobile bases may be adjusted and one or more of the mobile basesmay be instructed to move to a different relative position correspondingto a different delivery and/or receiving area based on the change in themobile base positioning factor.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1500 for aselection of a transportation unit for receiving an item from areceiving location. The example process begins with a determination of areceiving location that an item will be received from, as in 1502. Forexample, a receiving location for a merchant or a vendor may be at theirplace of business. As another example, a receiving location for a userwho is returning an item may be at the user's residence or place ofwork.

After a receiving location has been determined, a travel distance fromthe receiving location to the mobile base is determined, as in 1504. Invarious implementations, different travel distances may be determinedfor different types of transportation units, as different types oftransportation units may each travel by different types of travel paths.For example, an automated aerial vehicle may be able to travel along arelatively straight route through the air, while a bicycle may need totravel certain types of pathways, an automobile may need to followcertain types of roadways, etc.

After the one or more travel distances are determined, thetransportation units that are available for receiving the item aredetermined, as in 1506. In various implementations, the availability ofthe transportation units may depend on certain factors. For example,only certain transportation units may be currently ready to travel(e.g., charged, fueled, etc.). As another example, only certaintransportation units may have a sufficient range for the specifiedtravel distance and/or capacity for carrying the type of item (e.g., dueto weight, size, etc.). Once the available transportation units aredetermined, a transportation factor evaluation sub-process is performedas in 1000 (e.g., as previously described with respect to FIG. 10).Based on the results of the transportation factor evaluation sub-process1000, the selected transportation unit is designated for receiving theitem, as in 1510.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1600 for atransportation unit receiving an item from a receiving location. Theexample process begins with directing a mobile base to travel to areceiving area for an item, as in 1602. For example, a receiving areamay include a number of receiving locations, as previously describedwith respect to FIG. 4. In various implementations, the receiving areathat the mobile base is directed to travel to may be determined based onone or more mobile base positioning factors. For example, the mobilebase positioning factors may be related to data such as a number ofscheduled or anticipated receiving locations in the receiving area.

After the mobile base has arrived at the receiving area (e.g., asdetermined by GPS or other tracking technology), the selectedtransportation unit is directed to travel to a receiving location toreceive the item, as in 1604. For example, if the transportation unit isstationed at the mobile base, the transportation unit may be providedwith instructions to follow a route from the mobile base to thereceiving location where the transportation unit is to engage the item.Alternatively, if the transportation unit is stationed remotely from themobile base (e.g., at a location within the receiving area) thetransportation unit may be directed to travel from that location to thereceiving location. After the transportation unit has traveled to thereceiving location, a confirmation may be received of the transportationunit engaging the item, as in 1606. For example, the transportation unitmay be configured to transmit a confirmation to the mobile base or aremote computing resource (e.g., including a mobile base managementsystem) when the item is engaged. In various implementations, as part ofthe process for engaging an item, the item may be inspected or otherwiseexamined. For example, the transportation unit may be configured (e.g.,with various sensors, cameras, etc.) for determining that the item is asexpected (e.g., determining that the correct item has been engaged, thatthe item is not damaged, etc.). Various safety protocols may also beperformed when the item is engaged (e.g., examining the item todetermine that it is not dangerous, hazardous, etc.).

After a confirmation is received of the transportation unit engaging theitem, a determination is made as to whether a credit or othercompensation will be issued for the received item, as in 1608. Forexample, a merchant's account may be automatically credited for an itemonce it is received by a transportation unit. As part of the creditingprocess, or as part of an alternative compensation process, payment forthe item may also be made immediately from the transportation unit(e.g., the transportation unit may dispense cash, electronic payment,coupons, etc.). As another example, a refund or exchange process may beinitiated for a user once an item for return is received by atransportation unit. Alternatively, such credits or other compensationmay be issued after the item is transported by the transportation unitto the mobile base. It will be appreciated that by issuing credits orother compensation for received items when they are received by atransportation unit or mobile base, refunds, payments, etc. may beinitiated more quickly (e.g., as compared to traditional systems wherean item would need to be received at a materials handling facilitybefore a credit for the item would be issued).

If a credit or other compensation is to be issued, then the credit orother compensation is issued to the supplier of the received item, as in1610. After the credit or other compensation is issued, as in 1610, orif no credit or other compensation is to be issued for the item at thepresent time, as in 1608, a determination is made as to whether the itemis to be designated as available for sale in an inventory database, asin 1612. In various implementations, an item may be designated asavailable for sale in an inventory database once the item has eitherbeen engaged by the transportation unit or received at the mobile base,and may subsequently be sold directly from the mobile base or from amaterials handling facility that the item is transported to by themobile base. In one implementation, the inventory database may beincluded in or otherwise associated with the materials handlingfacility. It will be appreciated that by designating items as availablefor sale in an inventory database when they are received by atransportation unit or mobile base, the inventory database may beupdated more quickly to represent recently acquired items (e.g., ascompared to traditional systems where an item may need to be received ata materials handling facility before it would be designated as availablefor sale in inventory). If the item is to be designated as available forsale, the item is recorded in the inventory database as available forsale, as in 1614.

After the item is recorded in the inventory database as available forsale as in 1614, or if the item is not to be designated as available forsale in inventory, as in 1612, a determination is made as to whether thetransportation unit will transport the item to the mobile base, as in1616. If the transportation unit is to not transport the item to themobile base, then the transportation unit is directed to transport theitem to another location, as in 1618. For example, a received item maybe transported directly to a materials handling facility (e.g., if thematerials handling facility is closer than the mobile base, if there isan urgency for the materials handling facility to receive the item,etc.). As another example, a received item may be transported to asecond mobile base (e.g., if the second mobile base is closer, is inneed of the item, etc.). As yet another example, as noted above, areceived item may be designated as available for sale in inventory onceit has been engaged by the transportation unit, and may immediately besold or may have been pre-sold, in which case the transportation unitmay be instructed to transport the sold item directly to a userspecified delivery location.

If the transportation unit is to transport the item to the mobile base,then the transportation unit is directed to transport the item to themobile base, as in 1620. With respect to the travel of thetransportation unit to the mobile base, as described above with respectto FIG. 4, in various implementations, a mobile base may remainstationary or may continue to travel after a transportation unit departsto receive an item. If the mobile base will remain stationary, theinstructions directing the transportation unit to return with the itemmay indicate the same location from which the transportation unitdeparted the mobile base. Alternatively, if the mobile base is expectedto move to a new location after the transportation unit departs from themobile base, the instructions directing the transportation unit totravel with the item from the receiving location back to the mobile basemay include the new expected location of the mobile base. Furthermore,if the mobile base is continuing to move, the new expected location maybe an estimated location based on an estimated time of arrival of thetransportation unit.

The arrival of the transportation unit and/or the item at the mobilebase may be determined at least in part in accordance with a uniqueidentifier or other identification protocol that may be transmitted,scanned, etc. for identifying the transportation unit and/or item uponarrival. For example, the transportation unit may transmit a codedsequence, may include a barcode or QR code that can be scanned, or mayotherwise be identified. After the transportation unit has been directedto transport the item to the mobile base and has arrived at the mobilebase, the item is placed in a designated storage area of the mobilebase, as in 1622. As described above with respect to FIG. 2, a mobilebase may include storage areas (e.g., bins) including identifications orother mechanisms for organizing and tracking received items, and theitem and storage area may be scanned or otherwise identified to recordthe item in inventory as currently stored in the identified storage areaof the mobile base. As also described above, a mobile base may includean automatic storage and retrieval system that may receive the item fromthe transportation unit and automatically move the item to a designatedstorage area.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1700 for amobile base returning to a materials handling facility with receiveditems. The example process begins with an instruction for the mobilebase to return to a materials handling facility, as in 1702. Forexample, a mobile base may be instructed to return to a materialshandling facility once a designated route to various receiving areas hasbeen completed. After the mobile base has been instructed to return tothe materials handling facility, an indication is received of when themobile base has arrived at the materials handling facility, as in 1704.For example, GPS tracking, visual identification, etc. may be utilizedto determine when a mobile base has arrived.

After the mobile base has arrived at the materials handling facility,the items are unloaded from the mobile base into the materials handlingfacility, as in 1706. As described above, in various implementations,the items may be included in specified storage areas (e.g., bins) withinthe mobile base, for which the items may be removed and processed invarious ways. For example, the items may be individually removed fromthe storage areas (e.g. including scanning of identifiers for the itemsand storage areas), or an entire section of storage areas (e.g. a bay ofbins) may be removed from the mobile base for further processing insidethe materials handling facility, etc. After the items have beenunloaded, a database at the materials handling facility is synchronizedto indicate the physical arrival of the received items, as in 1708.

FIG. 18 is a pictorial diagram of an illustrative implementation of aserver system, such as the server system 320, that may be used in theimplementations described herein. The server system 320 may include aprocessor 1800, such as one or more redundant processors, a videodisplay adapter 1802, a disk drive 1804, an input/output interface 1806,a network interface 1808, and a memory 1812. The processor 1800, thevideo display adapter 1802, the disk drive 1804, the input/outputinterface 1806, the network interface 1808, and the memory 1812 may becommunicatively coupled to each other by a communication bus 1810.

The video display adapter 1802 provides display signals to a localdisplay (not shown in FIG. 18) permitting an agent of the server system320 to monitor and configure operation of the server system 320 and/orto provide information (e.g., regarding transportation of an item by amobile base 200 or transportation unit 500). The input/output interface1806 likewise communicates with external input/output devices not shownin FIG. 18, such as a mouse, keyboard, scanner, or other input andoutput devices that can be operated by an agent of the server system320. The network interface 1808 includes hardware, software, or anycombination thereof, to communicate with other computing devices. Forexample, the network interface 1808 may be configured to providecommunications between the server system 320 and other computingdevices, such as that of a mobile base 200 or transportation unit 500,via a network.

The memory 1812 generally comprises random access memory (RAM),read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and/or other volatile or permanentmemory. The memory 1812 is shown storing an operating system 1814 forcontrolling the operation of the server system 320. A binaryinput/output system (BIOS) 1816 for controlling the low-level operationof the server system 320 is also stored in the memory 1812.

The memory 1812 additionally stores program code and data for providingnetwork services to the mobile base 200, transportation unit 500, and/ormobile base management system 326. Accordingly, the memory 1812 maystore a browser application 1818. The browser application 1818 comprisescomputer executable instructions, that, when executed by the processor1800, generate or otherwise obtain configurable markup documents such asWeb pages. The browser application 1818 communicates with a data storemanager application 1820 to facilitate data exchange between the datastore 309 and the mobile base management system 326.

As used herein, the term “data store” refers to any device orcombination of devices capable of storing, accessing, and retrievingdata, which may include any combination and number of data servers,databases, data storage devices and data storage media, in any standard,distributed or clustered environment. The server system 320 can includeany appropriate hardware and software for integrating with the datastore 309 as needed to execute aspects of one or more applications for amobile base 200, transportation unit 500, and/or the mobile basemanagement system 326.

The data store 309 can include several separate data tables, databasesor other data storage mechanisms and media for storing data relating toa particular aspect. For example, the illustrated data store 309includes mechanisms for maintaining information related to operations,inventory, maps, GPS data, etc., which can be used to generate anddeliver information to a mobile base 200, transportation unit 500, themobile base management system 326 and/or agents. It should be understoodthat there might be additional aspects that can be stored in the datastore 309 and that additional data stores beyond the one illustrated maybe included. The data store 309 is operable, through logic associatedtherewith, to receive instructions from the server system 320 andobtain, update or otherwise process data in response thereto.

The memory 1812 may also include the mobile base management system 326,discussed above. The mobile base management system 326 may be executableby the processor 1800 to implement one or more of the functions of theserver system 320. In one implementation, the mobile base managementsystem 326 may represent instructions embodied in one or more softwareprograms stored in the memory 1812. In another implementation, themobile base management system 326 can represent hardware, softwareinstructions, or a combination thereof.

The server system 320, in one implementation, is a distributedenvironment utilizing several computer systems and components that areinterconnected via communication links, using one or more computernetworks or direct connections. However, it will be appreciated by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that such a system could operate equallywell in a system having fewer or a greater number of components than areillustrated in FIG. 18. Thus, the depiction in FIG. 18 should be takenas being illustrative in nature and not limiting to the scope of thedisclosure.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some implementationsthe functionality provided by the processes and systems discussed abovemay be provided in alternative ways, such as being split among moresoftware modules or routines or consolidated into fewer modules orroutines. Similarly, in some implementations, illustrated processes andsystems may provide more or less functionality than is described, suchas when other illustrated processes instead lack or include suchfunctionality respectively, or when the amount of functionality that isprovided is altered. In addition, while various operations may beillustrated as being performed in a particular manner (e.g., in serialor in parallel) and/or in a particular order, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that in other implementations the operations may beperformed in other orders and in other manners. Those skilled in the artwill also appreciate that the data structures discussed above may bestructured in different manners, such as by having a single datastructure split into multiple data structures or by having multiple datastructures consolidated into a single data structure. Similarly, in someimplementations, illustrated data structures may store more or lessinformation than is described, such as when other illustrated datastructures instead lack or include such information respectively, orwhen the amount or types of information that is stored is altered. Thevarious methods and systems as illustrated in the figures and describedherein represent example implementations. The methods and systems may beimplemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof in otherimplementations. Similarly, the order of any method may be changed andvarious elements may be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified,etc., in other implementations.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, although specificimplementations have been described herein for purposes of illustration,various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit andscope of the appended claims and the elements recited therein. Inaddition, while certain aspects are presented below in certain claimforms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects in any availableclaim form. For example, while only some aspects may currently berecited as being embodied in a computer readable storage medium, otheraspects may likewise be so embodied. Various modifications and changesmay be made as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art havingthe benefit of this disclosure. It is intended to embrace all suchmodifications and changes and, accordingly, the above description is tobe regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system to deliver items from a materialshandling facility, the system comprising: a mobile base configured totransport items from a materials handling facility to a delivery area,the delivery area comprising delivery locations; a transportation unitcarried by the mobile base and configured to deliver an item from themobile base to a delivery location in the delivery area, thetransportation unit comprising: a control system, comprising: apropulsion controller; a navigation system utilizing a globalpositioning system (GPS) to navigate the transportation unit to and fromlocations; one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the one ormore processors and storing program instructions that when executed bythe one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least:utilize the GPS of the navigation system to navigate the transportationunit with an item from the mobile base, wherein the transportation unitdeparts from the mobile base and travels to a delivery location todeliver the item, wherein the delivery location is specified in a userorder for the item; and utilize the GPS of the navigation system tonavigate the transportation unit from the specified delivery locationback to the mobile base after the item has been delivered to thedelivery location.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein after thetransportation unit departs from the mobile base, the mobile base ismoved to a different location, and the GPS of the navigation system isutilized to navigate the transportation unit to the different locationof the mobile base.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising aremote computing resource that determines a current location of thetransportation unit based on GPS signals and sends a notificationindicating the current location of the transportation unit.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a remote computing resource thatdisplays a map that shows and updates a current location of thetransportation unit based on GPS signals.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the transportation unit is an automated aerial vehicle that isconfigured to fly.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transportationunit is an automated mobile vehicle that is configured to travel alongthe ground and is not configured to fly.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the control system of the transportation unit further comprisesa network interface that supports wireless communication.
 8. The systemof claim 7, wherein the wireless communication is provided via acellular communications network.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein thenetwork interface of the transportation unit receives an instruction fordelivering the ordered item from a remote computing resource via thewireless communication, in response to which the GPS of the navigationsystem is utilized to navigate the transportation unit from the mobilebase.
 10. A computer-implemented method for controlling a transportationunit to transport an item from a mobile base for a delivery, thecomputer-implemented method comprising: under control of one or morecomputing systems configured with executable instructions, receiving aninstruction to deliver an ordered item from the mobile base; controllingthe transportation unit to depart from the mobile base with the ordereditem, wherein the transportation unit transports the ordered item fromthe mobile base to a delivery location to deliver the item and thedelivery location is specified in a user order for the item; andcontrolling the transportation unit to navigate back to the mobile baseafter the item has been delivered to the delivery location.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein after thetransportation unit departs from the mobile base with the ordered item,the mobile base is moved to a different location, and the transportationunit is controlled to navigate back to the mobile base at the differentlocation of the mobile base.
 12. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 10, wherein a navigation system of the transportation unit isutilized for the controlling of the transportation unit to navigate backto the mobile base.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12,wherein the navigation system utilizes a global positioning system (GPS)for the navigation.
 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10,further comprising receiving tracking data that indicates thecoordinates of the transportation unit.
 15. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 14, wherein the tracking data comprises GPS signals. 16.The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprisingdisplaying a map that shows and updates the current location of thetransportation unit based on the received tracking data.
 17. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the map is displayed ona website.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein thetransportation unit is an automated aerial vehicle that is configured tofly.
 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein thetransportation unit is an automated mobile vehicle that is notconfigured to fly.
 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 10,wherein the instruction to deliver the ordered item is received viawireless communication that is provided through a cellularcommunications network.
 21. A system to deliver items, comprising: atransportation unit configured to deliver an item from a mobile base toa delivery location, the transportation unit comprising: a controlsystem, comprising: a navigation system to navigate the transportationunit; and a computing system, comprising: one or more processors; and amemory coupled to the one or more processors and storing programinstructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause theone or more processors to at least: provide instructions for deliveringan item from the mobile base, wherein the item is to be delivered fromthe mobile base to a delivery location that is specified in a user orderfor the item; provide instructions directing the transportation unitwith the ordered item to navigate from the mobile base, wherein thetransportation unit departs from the mobile base and travels to thedelivery location to deliver the ordered item; and provide instructionsdirecting the transportation unit to navigate from the delivery locationback to the mobile base.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein after thetransportation unit departs from the mobile base, the mobile base ismoved to a different location, and the navigation system is utilized tonavigate the transportation unit to the different location of the mobilebase.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the program instructions whenexecuted by the one or more processors further cause the one or moreprocessors to receive tracking data that indicates the coordinates ofthe transportation unit.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the programinstructions when executed by the one or more processors further causethe one or more processors to display a map that shows and updates thecurrent location of the transportation unit based on the receivedtracking data.
 25. The system of claim 21, wherein the transportationunit is an automated mobile vehicle that is configured to travel alongthe ground and is not configured to fly.
 26. The system of claim 21,wherein the transportation unit is an automated aerial vehicle that isconfigured to fly.
 27. The system of claim 26, wherein thetransportation unit further comprises an infrared sensor that isutilized to assist with a landing of the transportation unit on themobile base.